Brother's Grimm: An Unfinished Story
by Bon Bear
Summary: The vain queen was so protective of her beauty that she put more than one enchantment on the castle, should the first one be broken. The brothers must finish the adventure that they unexpectedly stumbled upon...once and for all.
1. Ch 1 Leaving Horror Behind

**Brothers Grimm: An Unfinished Story – By: Bon Bear**

_The vain queen was so protective of her beauty that she put more than one enchantment on the castle, should the first one be broken. The brothers must finish the adventure that they unexpectedly stumbled upon...once and for all._

**A/N: Welcome, with open arms, to my fan fiction on Brothers Grimm. I hope you all enjoy it and write lots of reviews! Please review!**

The sky was gray and stormy as Jakob sat unsteadily on his horse. He looked down at the crowd of people who had gathered to see him and his brother off.

"Good-bye!"

"Come again!"

"Thank you!"

"Farewell!"

"God Bless Ye!"

"Safe journey!"

There were tears in many peoples' eyes, and Jake could feel his glasses stained with droplets of tears as well. He glanced at his brother – and started.

Wilhelm, the one who always was so strong, the older one who looked after all of them, was balanced precariously on his horse. His head lolled weakly like a rag doll and he looked like he was going to fall. But like always, he was putting on a brave, big-brotherly smile to comfort the others.

Jake stretched out a trembling hand and touched his brother's shoulder lightly, almost afraid. He licked his lips, "Will? Will – are you…" but he trailed off and Wilhelm didn't give any sign of hearing him. Jake shook his head. It felt strange to hear those words coming from him. He was not one to say those things. Neither was Will.

"Will! Jake!"

Jake looked up at the strong, female voice from the crowd. Something in his chest hiccupped when he saw Anjelika pushing her way through the crowd. She arrived at the foot of the horses, breathless. He noticed that there were no tears in her eyes, but rather – a fierce, burning blaze.

"I have something for you," she said quickly, "It's from all of us."

The rest of the crowd murmured their agreement as Anjelika held out a small package. Without a word, Jake took the package and nodded to show that he was grateful. He didn't want to say anything; for fear that his voice might crack un-heroically. He didn't have the heart to open it either. Anjelika stood on her toes and brushed her lips against Jake's cheek, whispering, "Take care, and come back…" Then she straightened Will on his horse and kissed his cheek too.

Jakob clicked his tongue, and the two brothers, along with Cavaldi turned their backs to the crowd, and rode past the town limits. Jake tried to block the sad cheering from his ears.

……

"Do you have any idea?" Jake asked his brother, trying to block the worry out of his voice.

"What?" Will asked, fighting his waning strength with every word. His hands were holding feebly onto the reins of the horse, and Jake knew that if the horse decided to bolt, Will would stand no chance of staying on.

"What we're going to do of course!" Jake couldn't help but sound annoyed. Here he was, playing big brother to his own big brother. Will was supposed to take care of him! He was supposed to bark, "Beans!" to keep Jake's wits intact. He was supposed to remind Jake that there was no such thing as happy endings; that they didn't live in a fairy tale.

Will shrugged, "I dunno. What do you think…?"

"Maybe…" Jake paused. "Maybe we should go back to helping people with their problems. It's the only thing we know how to do."

"Sure…"

"Will? Will - are you alright!" Jake's voice rose in panic and alarm. Will had slumped over on the horse's neck.

"Will! Will!"

Jake clambered awkwardly off his horse and tried to stop his brother's chestnut haired one. Luckily, it was a slow, amiable animal that gladly obliged to stopping. The French torture guy stopped. And watched.

Jake lugged the robust figure of his older brother off the horse, somewhat clumsily and heaved him to the side of the rode.

A light drizzle had started.

"Go get help! Go get help!" Jake screamed at the French torturer who was standing dumbly, watching. The French man jumped.

"Moi?" he asked, surprised.

"Yes you, you great big…go get help!"

"But me no speak no German!"

"Oh for Christ's Sakes will you just go! Just go and drag whomever you can over here. Can't you see he's dying!"

At Jake's insistent shrieks, Cavaldi started running, black cape flapping behind him, to get help. Jake breathed heavily and looked into his brother's pale face. Had he meant it when he said that his brother was dying? Surely he couldn't be…

His mind flashed to when he was 10 years younger. When he had traded in all they had for some magic beans. And the beans…hadn't been magic. His younger sister suffered the most from hunger. Jake shivered as he heard Lotte's child-like voice whispering,

"_Am I dying Mommy? Will I die?"_

His mother and sister hadn't yelled at him, but the silent rebuke was worse than any yelling. Will had yelled. Will had ranted and raved, screamed and pounded. He had grabbed Jake by the arm and threw him to the floor in disgust.

Ever since his father had died, Will had been the fatherly figure. He had been the one in charge of them all. He had helped them get through the hard times. Except Lotte. He lost Lotte on the way. But Will had managed. He had managed to pull them through the thick, brambly forest of "hard times" relatively unscathed with only Lotte being caught on the branches of the scaly trees.

Jake shuddered. _Please,_ he begged no one in particular. _Please don't let me be responsible for the death of someone else…_

He kept thinking, he kept thinking that if he hadn't had the stupid idea to play hero to the 12 girls around the castle, that Will wouldn't be so ill.

_What a stupid thought_, he chided himself. _So stupid, like you always are. Like you would leave any of the girls to die. Especially not Anjelika. But I wish…_ Jake fingered his brother's sandy hair and forced his mind to stop thinking.

"Will?" Jake whispered.

"Will? I just want to say that I'm sorry…for…everything. Okay?"

There was no answer.


	2. Ch 2 An Unexpected Gift

**A/N: Keep the reviews coming! Thanks to the people who have reviewed so far…and shame, shame, shame on those who haven't (reviewed, that is) lol. Good reviews and bad reviews welcome!**

Cavaldi came back, hours later, his clothes soaked.

"I got us a carriage," he said, gesturing to a small, second hand, and battered carriage.

_So much for not being able to speak German_, Jakob couldn't help thinking.

"Get in," he ordered, brusquely and pushed his glasses up. Not that it helped in anyway. The rain was pelting down so hard that his glasses were completely covered with water. Using strength that couldn't believe that he had, he scooped Will up from the muddy ground, stumbled over the carriage, and dumped him on the floor. The man sitting at the reins glared at the mess he was making. Jakob smiled weakly at him, water running down the side of his nose, his glasses hanging at a strange angle off one ear.

"Could you please…get us to the closest inn possible?" he asked desperately, squelching water on the seat as he sat down.

"Sure thing," the man said without interest and turned back around. There was a pause.

"I'm the inn-keeper," he said after a while, with the same indifferent tone. Jakob hurriedly wiped his glasses with his soaking wet clothes.

"Oh-oh really? That's quite…that quite um…" he cast around for a word. For a writer, he was never really good with clever words.

"…okay." He offered, thinking he couldn't possibly get trouble for such a neutral word. The innkeeper grunted.

Jakob stared out into space as he listened to the sound of horse hooves clomping muddily around the streets. Had things changed between the two brothers since the Queen was destroyed? Jakob stared at Will's faint chest movement and wished with all his might that they had never ever heard of the forest.

The horses stopped.

"We're here," the innkeeper said, and leapt off the horse.

"Get out quickly, it's pouring like bloody hell out here."

Jakob jumped up hastily and looked at Cavaldi pleadingly. The two of them lifted Will's body, and took him precariously out of the carriage. A bit of Will's back grazed the grimy, waterlogged streets, but that could not be helped.

To the innkeeper's impatient gestures, they carried him to the inn and Jakob glanced around warily. The inn was not the warm welcoming one, he had pictured. It was small, dank, and gloomy. A pair of faint, dying candles lit the reception room.

"It's 50 Deutche Marks for one night' stay, 60 – with dinner included." The innkeeper was all business the minute he took his sopping coat off and hung it on a rusty hook. Jakob dug deep into his pocket and pulled out his coin purse. 51 Deutche Marks. Just enough for lodging. He gave 50 Marks to the innkeeper sadly. Cavaldi glanced at him with confusion.

"But-but we need dinner too!"

"We don't have the money," Jakob mumbled. "And I'm not hungry."

Cavaldi grumbled and grouched, and followed Jakob as they were shown to their rooms.

……

Once they were in the room with the hard beds, and the dusty corners Jakob gingerly covered his brother with an age-worn blanket. Then he sat down, took off his glasses, and rubbed his eyes.

"I'm hungry." Cavaldi whimpered.

Jakob didn't answer. He was trying to think. What was it that he seemed to have forgotten? There was definitely something that he had forgotten.

"Something…" he whispered. Cavaldi looked at him inquisitively.

"I know there's something that I forgot!" He fell down on the bed in frustration.

"Food. You forgot dinner." Cavaldi prompted. Jakob rolled over on his bed and pounded his fist into the mattress.

"Something…"

Absentmindedly, he took out his journal and began flipping through the pages. As he took it out, the box that Anjelika had given him fell out of the pocket too. Jake stared at its peeling brown covering. Then, without a word, he picked it up and started unwrapping it. He uncovered a box – which he opened. Inside, there were some small gold pieces and a roll of Deutche Marks. Anjelika had written,

Dear Jakob,

I wish you a safe trip. Here is a little something to help you along. It's from all of us.

Love,

Anjelika

P. S: I found something at the foot of the tower I think you need.

Please take care of it. I have reason to believe that there is only

one other in this world. You'll realize the significance soon.

Filled with curiosity, Jake lifted the money and stared at what he found.

The Queen's silver sword stained with Will's blood.

And a shard of the Queen's mirror.

……

Jakob stared. And stared.

"What is it?" Jakob felt Cavaldi move to sit next to him. Jake shook his head wordlessly. His hands fumbled through the box and found another note, smaller and scrawled hastily.

Jake,

I found these, I'm not exactly sure what they're for – that's for you to find out. But I know that this is not the last you have seen of the Queen – or the rest of us. Best wishes and good luck.

Love,

Anjelika

Jake stared helplessly at the piece of paper. This told him nothing. Nothing!

"Are we getting dinner now?"

Jake stared at Will's form, and fingered the Queen's dagger.

"Yes," he murmured.

"Yes? Yes? Yes!" Cavaldi jumped up and did a little dance around the tiny room. Jake rubbed his eyes again and sighed. He picked up the thick wad of bills and gave a few to Cavaldi.

"Here, take this. Go buy something. And bring some back for Will."

The French man looked disappointed at the small amount of bills being pressed in his hand, but left the room without a word.

When the door closed, Jake fell back onto the bed, jostling his brother's unconscious body.

Why was life so complicated? Why did his brother have to come up with this brilliant idea to make a living by pretending to be a pair of problem solvers? And why did he agree to go along? Oh sure, he had begged and pleaded for Will to change his mind, but in the end he had agreed. And why in heaven's name, when they were actually earning a living, did the French have to get them?

Jake shuddered at how close they were to being tortured to death like their partners.

And why…why? Why did they have the grand luck to stumble upon this enchanted forest with an evil Queen who wanted her beauty back at all costs? Why did he have to meet Anjelika? Then he had to go save her when she was taken. And it was because of all that, that Will came up to him – to save him like a brother should. And what did he do? He stabbed him! He all but murdered his own brother!

Jake groaned, and rolled around, making the blankets tangle hopelessly. His head pounded with the guilt.

And then…Jake couldn't stop the images flashing in his mind like a motion picture…and then the Queen had placed Will under her spell. She had saved him from dying by sticking the dagger into him. The dagger that had kept Anjelika's father alive all these years!

Jake couldn't bear to think of when Will had risen, alive as ever, and whispered…

"**I must serve my Queen…" **

"Noooooo!" Jake screamed. He opened his eyes – which he didn't remember closing. He realized that he was sweating under the snarled blanket and that he was still clutching the Queen's dagger and the shard of the mirror.

He opened his hand.

And the Queen smiled at him.

Jake shut his eyes.

"I didn't see that," he whispered "I didn't see that, I didn't see that, I didn't see that…"

The door slammed.

"I'm back!" Cavaldi called in a ringing, triumphant tone. There was a pause as

Cavaldi looked confusedly around the room.

"Jake? Where are you Jake?"

Jake felt the blanket being pulled off of him.

"There you are! Sleeping?"

Jake jumped up.

"No, not sleeping," he defended himself hurriedly.

"Just um…just thinking."

He peered warily at the shard of mirror clenched in his fist. Nothing. Just a normal mirror. Or a mirror shard really.

"Anything wrong?" Cavaldi asked, clearly disturbed by the fact that his appearance with food was not embraced.

"I saw just that…that Queen…" Jake shuddered.

"Queen? Isn't that the lady…?" Cavaldi asked, scratching his head. He had never seen the woman herself, but Will had mentioned her when telling the story in 5 minutes. When Jake nodded, Cavaldi looked even more perplexed.

"But she's dead, isn't she? Destroyed?"

"She's been dead for quite a long time Cavaldi," Jake snapped impatiently.

"She was just…living through her magic I guess…" He shook his head.

"I thought she was destroyed too, until…"

"But she is destroyed isn't she? Isn't she? I mean, even if she were to, I mean, to…to somehow not be destroyed she couldn't possibly be here right? That's just not…"

Cavaldi was visibly shaken. Jake took another peek at the shard. Nothing. He sighed.

"No. I guess not. I was just…" In his mind, Jake could hear Will barking, _"Beans!"_ to shut him up and stop his rambling.

_Oh Will, I wish you were well. I'm not the type of person to deal with this! _he thought. _I can't deal with this!_

"I was just thinking about her and everything. It's all right now. What um…what did you bring back?"

Happy that the conversation had steered to a more pleasant topic, Cavaldi rubbed his hands.

"Some cheese and bread, some potatoes and warm broth for Will…" Cavaldi listed as he pulled the items out of his pocket. Jake knew that what he bought couldn't possibly have used up all the money he had given the French man, but couldn't bring himself to point that out. Obviously, Cavaldi had been starving, and eaten a meal before he came back. Jake couldn't blame him.

"Thanks," he said wearily, and took the broth from Cavaldi.

"Oops."

Jake looked up to see a box of chocolates and colorful bon bons spill out of the French (former) torturer's pockets. Cavaldi scrambled to pick them up and stuff them back into his pockets like a naughty little boy being caught at his naughtiness. Jake started laughing. He couldn't help it! Cavaldi looked relieved, and started laughing too. He offered some to Jake and laughed some more. Still chuckling, Jake unwrapped the sweet and put it tantalizingly close to Will's lips.

"Come on Will, come on have some chocolate."

But Will didn't stir.

"Come on Will, if you don't eat it, I will…"

Not one sign of movement. Will's breathing was very faint and if Jake wanted to, he could easily pretend that his brother was dead.

"Will…it tastes really…really good…"

Still nothing.

"Will! Goddamn you bastard, wake up! Will! Eat the blazin' chocolate!"

Cavaldi stared in open-mouthed horror as Jake's laughter dissolved into tears. Jake started pounding his brother's body in agony and despair.

"Damn you Will! I can't do this alone I tell you, I can't!"

"Jake – " Cavaldi tried reaching out a comforting hand.

"Beans!" Jake screamed wildly.

"Beans! Why won't you yell 'beans!' you freakin' idiot?"

Cavaldi's horror mounted as Jake turned his tear streaked face to him and moaned,

"He's dying…he's dying and its all my fault!"

……

Cavaldi didn't know what to say. He cleared his throat.

"I…I, uh…that is…"

Jake slumped down at the foot of the bed in a dejected heap and sobbed.

Cavaldi stared mournfully at the gray wall. The Brothers had literally saved him and taken him under their wing. He wished there was something he could do…

"Jakob – we Frenchmen always say, 'Napoleon didn't win by crying.'"

Jake kept sobbing.

"Is – is there, anything I could…you know…do or something?" He felt awkward saying it but he shoved that feeling away.

There was a pause. Jake gave a shuddering sigh and pulled himself up.

"No," he said after awhile, his voice still shaky.

"I'm sorry for scaring you, I just…well anyway, we'll just have to wait it out."

And looking at Will's pale face, Jake thought, _we'll be waiting quite a long while…_

……

After Jake had a slowly fed the broth into Will's mouth, and tucked him warmly in a blanket, he lit 2 candles to illuminate the darkness. Cavaldi had gone to sleep, snoring softly on the floor under a thin blanket. Jake propped himself up against a leg of the bed a scribbled in his journal intently.

It was not something he particularly enjoyed doing, reliving his adventures through words (he relived them enough in his sleep) but it something he felt was necessary - to record everything done because it might become important later.

…_and that's when it struck me. The magic book in the tower! The moon…the crypt…the 12 coffins! The Queen, in her evil vain, had found a way to revive her beauty, even if it would be at a terrible cost. The blood of 12 young girls mixed and drunk before the moon waned, would resurrect the dead Queen…_

Jake stopped there, rubbing his eyes in tiredness. Something didn't seem right. If the Queen had worked so hard to revive her beauty, she must've known that it could have easily gone wrong. Did she think that everyone would just sit around, watching as their beloved girls were taken from their midst? Everything was so dependant on her mirror…

Through a flash, Jake remembered that he had seen the Queen's face in the shard of mirror Anjelika had given him…_No_, he told himself firmly, _no, it was just my imagination…I didn't see it later…_

But the Queen – the Queen must have had a second plan. She had so desperately wanted her beauty back.

Jake sighed in frustration. All he had to do was find out why Anjelika had given him the shard. He had a feeling that if he could only figure that part out everything else would be clear.

Heaving himself up, he went to retrieve the shard and the dagger hidden in his knapsack.

He turned the dagger around carefully with a dawning of recognition. This had been the Queen's dagger – that dagger that had kept Will alive, the one that had caused him to whisper, **"I must serve my Queen…"**

A thrill of excitement flooded through Jake. If he used it, if he put it into somebody, would they serve him? A prospect of power he had never known…

But no. He mustn't be so stupid. The magic probably only worked for the Queen. He carefully laid the dagger aside and picked up the shard.

Staring intently at it, Jake could see nothing, except the light reflection of a normal mirror.

He breathed a sigh of relief. But at the same time, he felt disappointed. Could he be going crazy?

Jake stretched and yawned. It had been a long day. He needed some rest.

But as he got up, he glanced back down at his hand.

No. It couldn't be.

Could it?

Yes, he saw it again!

An eye.

The eye.

The eye of the Queen.

……

Jake wanted to scream, but for some reason, the scream had caught in his throat. He just stared in horror, as a familiar voice filled his brain.

"Dear, dear Jakob…always taking care of your brother when he would never do the same for you…"

_Yes he would_ – Jake thought savagely, _yes he would!_

"Are you so sure? Come Jakob, don't lie to yourself…"

Her voice was so sweet, yet so evil.

"Come to me, my dearest, come to me…"

_Anjelika,_ he thought to himself, _Think about Anjelika…_

"Ah…Anjelika? Are you thinking about Anjelika, Jakob? But Anjelika doesn't love you as I do. Anjelika and your brother are betraying you! But I love you Jakob, I love you…"

Jake felt his knees give way as he sank helplessly to the floor. _What do you want? _his brain screamed feverously – _What do you want?_

"Dear Jakob, so sweet, so creative. I've waiting for you to ask me that – did you know? I want the shard. I want the shard that you are using to speak to me right now. And I want my dagger back. So that I can come back and we will be together again Jakob. Jakob, my dearest, don't you want to join your beautiful Queen? If you help me, I will be beautiful again. You and I can love each other for eternity…Please Jakob, my sweetness…please help me come back…"

Jake found his voice –

"No!" he screamed blindly.

"No! You can't come back! You'll kill us all! You'll kill Anjelika! And I'll have to leave Will! Nooooo!"

There was a flash of pain like knives stabbing him in the back, and then – it stopped.

Trembling, Jake uncovered his eyes and looked around him. The shabby room was back to normal. He didn't hear any seductive voice crooning in his head.

Breathing heavily, Jake picked up the dagger and the shard of mirror (shifting his eyes so that he would not have to look directly at them) and placed them carefully in his knapsack.

Then he flopped down on the ground next to Cavaldi, and stared up at the ceiling. What was it that bound him and the Queen together? The shard? And what would happen if the Queen got hold of that shard? Jake shuddered as he thought about how close he was to succumbing to the Queen's magic.

……

The night was filled with fitful nightmares of the Queen, turning from shriveled and dead, to new and young again. He heard her voice crying, "Ah! I'm beautiful again!" over and over again, and he heard Will saying, "I must serve my Queen…" He dreamed that he had come back to the inn after working to get some money, only to see Will up and about, as fit as a cat. But as he walked in, his brother turned to him and whispered, "I must serve my Queen…" And Will lunged at him –

"No! Will! Don't!" Jake screamed, flapping his arms around to stop him…

"Jake?"

Someone was slapping his face.

"Jake?"

Jake rolled over to see Cavaldi peering anxiously at him.

"Are you alright? It sounded like you were having a nightmare."

Jake groaned and squinted at the sunlight streaming through the dusty windows.

"I was. But don't worry about it."

He considered telling Cavaldi about last night's events, but decided against it. He didn't know why, but only a month ago, Cavaldi had been their enemy – the one who had wanted to torture them to death. And besides, he looked worried enough without something else on his mind.

"We need to get breakfast. Will is sort of coming to."

At that, Jake sat up.

"Really?"

"Yeah, but it's not full consciousness yet. He looks at you through a bleary eye and can sort of recognize you, but then he just drifts off." Cavaldi chuckled.

"He took one look at me, moaned 'Cavaldi' and then fell back into his stupor. Can't say he was really glad to see me."

Jake gave a half-hearted smile.

"Which reminds me, we need to find work soon or we'll run out of money," he told Cavaldi. The French man scratched his head.

"I know of a royal family. The prince is looking to throw a ball and pick his bride from the guests. You want to help them? Just in case…you know, a 'ghost' shows up?"

Jake shrugged. He hated having to go back to their fraudulent ways.

But hey – what else could he do before his book was finished?

And besides – he might discover something about the Queen on the way.

**A/N: Tell all your friends to read and review! Thnx!**


	3. Ch 3 Shadowing

Jake walked softly to the bed and stared awkwardly through his glasses to his brother. Will's breathing had steadied and the color had returned to his face.

"Will?" Jake whispered timidly.

His brother blearily opened one eye.

"Jake?" he croaked.

Jake's heart jumped and his eyes filled with tears. Wiping them away, he said,

"Will? Are you better? Are you really better?"

Will raised an eyebrow feebly.

"A little bit," he whispered hoarsely. "But I still feel like horse dung."

He groaned and rolled over. There was a silence.

"Something happened, Jake. Something happened in that tower. To me. I keep dreaming about it. A sort of surreal radiance and some kind of wicked bliss."

"Wh-what are you talking about? Nothing happened." But even as he said it, Jake knew that it didn't sound right. Something had happened. He just couldn't bear to tell Will about the Queen saving his life.

Will surprised Jake by turning around suddenly and facing his brother.

"Yes it did! Can't you see? I'm not – " he stopped suddenly and the faint color remaining in his cheeks fled quickly and his strength waned. Jake's heart plummeted.

"Will? It's okay. You don't have to tell me. Everything will be fine – okay? I'll take care of both of us." Jake's lips felt parched.

"Beans…" Will whispered.

……

"Are you sure this is going to work?" Jake asked, hurrying to keep up with

Cavaldi's long strides. Jake had decided to go see this royal family of Cavaldi's because they desperately needed the money. The money Anjelika had given them was a lot – but not enough. But he had also decided not to play "ghost exterminator" since that was completely fake. He really was never one to playact very well and without Will and their other accomplices (beheaded by the French general) he wouldn't stand a chance. So he decided to go on as sort of an advisor (he didn't like the words 'party planner').

"For the last time – yes! I know these people and let me tell you – they really need help. The Prince's advisors are nothing but cow dung. They don't know a twit. So they'll welcome you, and me." Then as an afterthought – "And think of the food they'll give us!"

Jake still bit his nails uneasily.

"I just know they won't like me. We should have brought Will along. He's always likeable," he mumbled miserably. But he knew that he couldn't have. Even though Will had really wanted to come, Jake knew that he was not up to the trip. And feeling the wind nipping around his raw ears, he privately felt that he had been right.

"People like me too." Cavaldi pouted.

_Yeah, if you'd stop thinking of food and ways to torture someone to death,_ Jake couldn't help thinking.

It seemed that they walked forever, even if Cavaldi insisted that the place was not too far away from where they had gotten off the buggy, before they reached the spectacular palace. Jake had been to many places before, but none as splendid as this! In awe, he took out his notebook and started writing, "The turrets are so high they block out sunlight, the lawns are perfectly…"

Cavaldi looked smug as he marched to one of the guards and conversed in rapid French to them. After a few minutes, he motioned for Jake and they both disappeared into the palace. If it was wonderful on the outside, Jake was not disappointed by the inside. The floors seemed to gleam and twinkle at him – and no wonder, for immediately after he tread his muddy boots on it, a maid servant hurried over and cleaned it up. Even Cavaldi looked impressed.

"This," he whispered in an undertone to Jake,

"is what I miss most about the French Court. If only they hadn't kicked me out…"

Jake suppressed his laughter and looked around. There was something about the painted, deathly white faces that made him uncomfortable though. They never smiled and their eyes were cold as they followed you down the hall.

……

Before he knew it, Jake was walking out of the palace in a daze. He had been immediately taken on as the official ball planner (he still didn't like the name party planner and refused to use it). He still couldn't believe it. It was so sudden! The French advisor to the Prince was completely clueless ("you're Germann? What's Jerman?") and the Prince was just as clueless – if not more so ("are you a male or female?")

Despite the fact that a pair of dodos had just hired him, Jake was feeling happy. He had been accepted (by a bunch of dodos but who cares?) and he had a good feeling about this.

Filled with ideas about the ball, Jake skipped gracelessly next to Cavaldi, who stared at him.

"Fine day isn't it?" Jake asked at the surprised French man.

"Let's get some lunch. I'm starving!"

……

The next few days had Jakob in a flurry. He didn't know how much work he had bargained for when he signed on as a - oh alright – party planner. But Cavaldi had been right. The Prince and the Royal Advisor were not just dodos – they were complete dodos.

So Jakob had to do all the researching of the food, the ordering of the food, the cleaning, the organizing of the activities, the search for decorations…One would think that the Prince would at least tell him who to invite, but no. Jake had to struggle with who to invite and who had R. S. V. P'd and all that fuss and bother.

It was more work than anyone should have to deal with!

With all those distractions Jake barely had time to tend to Will who seemed stable even if he wasn't getting any better. Each night he would sit with Will and read to him stories until both of them dozed off.

Cavaldi was no help. He just toured the city until 4:30 in the afternoon and come back – waiting to be fed. It was enough to make Jake scream. And he did, when he thought nobody was watching or listening.

One afternoon, as he was wandering aimlessly along in the forest outskirts of the city, Jake came upon a maiden tending to a wounded bird. Another look at her and Jake's breath was taken away.

The maiden's cheeks – though streaked with dirt – were as pale as the snowdrop flowers nodding their heads around the trees. Her eyelashes were so long and gave her the look of an innocent wide-eyed deer. Her hair was speckled with gold and glimmered in the weak sunlight. Her face was so sweet. The maiden didn't have particularly lavish clothing, in fact her dress and petticoat were torn and covered with ashes – but to Jake, who hadn't grown up rich – it didn't matter a bit.

He stood there for a few seconds, just staring at the beautiful girl and didn't know what to say.

Suddenly, the maiden looked up and stared in fear at the strange man in front of her.

Quickly, she sank into a low curtsy.

"I beg your pardon, good sir," she murmured, hastening to get her belongings together.

"No – don't be sorry. I just – I just wanted to see how you are doing, miss," Jake stammered, bowing. The maiden narrowed her eyes.

"Do I…know you?"

Jake blushed crimson and stammered, "No. I don't believe you do. I just…strayed off my path, distracted by a beautiful creature." At that, he blushed even more. _How stupid_, he thought.

"Oh," she looked back down at the bird she had been tending. "Yes, she is a pretty thing isn't she? But excuse me, I must care for her broken wing."

Jake's face felt like fire. Not only had he sounded stupid, but the maiden had no idea he was talking about her!

"Wait!" he said in a desperate attempt to redeem himself – and caught hold of her wrist. She looked down at his hand, and Jake's heart leapt.

"Cinderella!" a cruel voice cut through the air. "Cinderella where are you?" Another voice said, "Lazing around probably, that ungrateful wretch."

Alarm spread across the maiden's face. She pulled free of Jake's grasp; picked up her basket, her skirt, and the little bird, "I must go, good sir!" she called over her shoulder.

Jake sighed as he watched Cinderella disappear daintily through the shadows. Why did he have such rotten luck with women?

"I hope she's going to the ball, that girl," Jake whispered to himself as he turned back.

……

Later than evening, Jake was still in a daze, writing away at his journal.

"Cinderella," he wrote and chewed his quill. What about Cinderella? He was thinking very hard, when Cavaldi walked over and read over his shoulder.

"Cinderella?" he asked, sounding amused. Jake jumped, and automatically slid his arm over the letters. Great. Now he'd have ink smudges all over his sleeve.

"Why, may I ask, would this name have all these little hearts around it?" Cavaldi asked. Jake's face flamed the familiar scarlet again.

"She's…she's…a-a…a new character. Yes, a new character. And she's supposed to be very loving. That's why I've got all these hearts…yes, precisely."

Will guffawed from the corner of the room, propped up in bed. "You never were the man for lying, Jake. I have to say, a new character! Although the name sounds strange enough. Tell us about her Jake."

And then there was a pause as Will's voice disappeared in a storm of coughing. There were bloodstains all over the bed sheet where he had thrown up blood the night before. Then there was an awkward silence.

"Come on," Cavaldi prompted. "Who is she? How do you know her? Why's her name Cinderella?"

"Well…" Jake started, thinking that this was not the best time to start lying again. "Well, if you must know, I met her today. In the forest. Happy?"

"And…?" Will encouraged, before coughing again.

"And what?"

"And how is she? Is she attractive?"

"Of course she's a attractive!" The words were out of his mouth before Jake could stop them. Will and Cavaldi giggled.

"Oh bother! Now you're both acting like a bunch of girls. This is driving me insane."

And then blood started trickling out of Will's mouth again. Jake jumped up, sending the chair flying.

"Will! Will, where does it hurt? Tell me!"

Will turned around on the bed.

"I'm fine. It doesn't hurt. It's just goddamn blood, it won't stop coming. I'm guessing that I'll either bleed to death of cough to death one day."

Jake looked shocked, so Will added hastily, "Don't worry, I won't be dying any time soon. Whoever heard of bleeding to death or coughing to death? Just continue with your story and I'll be fine."

More for Will's sake than anything else, Jake sank back down on his chair.

"Alright. Well like I said, I met her in the forest today. She's pretty. The end."

"The end?" Cavaldi squawked, "Not the end yet! What did you two say?"

"Nothing. I just said hello, and she said hello, and then she bolted out of there quick because someone was calling her name."

Both Will and Cavaldi looked disappointed.

"Boy, you must be really bad with girls if she bolted out of there before you could get her address."

"I told you, she ran because someone was calling her name! And I don't need her address, there was only one house in that forest nearby."

"Ohoho!" Cavaldi chuckled, "So you know where she lives! What are you going to do now?"

"Nothing. Nothing. Why should I do anything?"

Jake sighed as he saw his brother and the Frenchman shaking their heads at him.

……

_Maybe I don't have so much rotten luck after all_; Jake thought the next day as he trekked through the forest again. The Prince had ordered him to help deliver the invitations to the ball. Jake had jumped at the chance, hoping he'd get to ride a white horse, accompanied by pages blowing bugles, and all that. But no, he was to go on foot. But he had brightened up when he saw that one of the addresses was in the forest.

That was why he was back in the forest again. He soon arrived at the quaint little cottage in the middle of the forest. It wasn't too small, just very cozy, and he saw that it was tended to very well. He knocked on the door, his heart hammering against his chest.

A middle-aged woman opened the door. She had a hawk-like nose and narrowed eyes.

"Yes?" she barked. Taken aback at someone who was obviously not Cinderella, Jake stepped a few paces backward.

"Ehem…I'm, I'm here on the Prince's orders. I would like to deliver this invitation to Johanna, Erika, Kristine, and Ella." He let the last name roll out of his tongue. The woman snatched the invitations out of his hand.

"I'll have them. Thank you very much." As she closed the door, Jake saw a pudgy, fat-faced girl waddle over the door. "What is it Momma?" "Just some servant boy here to deliver an invitation for the ball." He heard squeals of delight. But just as the door was about to slam, and just as he was about to turn away, Jake saw something.

Something that made him bolt home.

A portrait.

Guess who's?

……

Gasping desperately for air, Jake hammered on the door to the inn room.

"Will! Cavaldi! Let me in. Let me in! LET ME IN!"

There were faint footsteps behind the door. Seconds passed.

"Curses," Jake muttered, "Curse you Cavaldi! LET ME IN!" He hammered again.

The door opened.

"Napoleon's spirit, what happened to you?"

Jake jumped through the door and slammed it shut. Breathing hard, he leaned against the door. Will was asleep.

Cavaldi gave him a few minutes, and then asked insistently,

"What happened?"

"I went to see Cinderella today – "

Cavaldi raised his eyebrows knowingly.

"No – not like that you big fat bozo! I had to deliver one of those goddamn invitations!"

"Oh."

"And it's not Cinderella who opens that door. Oh no it isn't. Let me tell you, that woman who opened the door was as different from Cinderella as any person could be! AND SHE HAS A PORTRAIT OF HER!"

"Who? Cinderella? Why wouldn't she – "

"No – not Cinderella! Not a portrait of Cinderella! A portrait of the – of the – of THAT QUEEN!"

Cavaldi jumped. There was silence. Jakob heard the clock ticking faintly from next door. Will moaned in his sleep.

"Nooo…don't, please don't. Jake, help me! Jake…"


	4. Ch 4 Always Watching

**A/N: I'm on a roll again! I have some great ideas for the upcoming chapters – now I just have to get them down on paper! Oh, I decided to change the name "French torture guy" to "Cavaldi" once and for all in the first chapter. Just so that new readers don't start reading, and give up because of references to the "French Torture Guy." Thank you so much for your reviews everybody! And thanks for the extra loooonnng one…you-know-who-you-are! lol, I'll find a way to around that rule somehow!**

Later that night, Jake crept out from under his blanket and rummaged through his knapsack. He pulled out the mirror shard and the dagger.

He snuck a look at the mirror shard.

Nothing.

Frustrated, he began making faces.

All he saw was his own scowling face.

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

He gripped the shard so tightly that the rough edges started cutting into his hands/

Still nothing.

Angrily, Jake thrust it back into his bag. Why couldn't the Queen appear when he needed some explanations?

He picked up the dagger. Once again, the idea that he could use it on anyone he liked…Maybe Cinderella would fall in love with him…_You make me sick,_ Jake thought to himself. _Besides,_ he continued thinking, _I thought we already agreed on the fact that it probably only works for HER…_

……

A few weeks passed and the date of the ball was quickly approaching. Jake was busier than ever, as problems seemed to pop up everywhere he turned.

The night before the ball, Cavaldi, Will, and Jake sat around the faint candlelight, staring at each other's shadows.

"I wish I could go tomorrow," Will rasped wistfully.

"Nonsense," Jake bristled, "You know you're not up for it." Will had thrashed around all last night and threw up practically everything he ate.

"You can barely walk," Jake pointed out.

"I can walk!" Will protested. He stood up unsteadily.

"Don't – "

He swayed dangerously and closed his eyes.

"See?" he whispered. "I can…walk…"

"Sit down, fool!" Cavaldi rumbled as Jake stuttered away, and both of them pushed Will roughly back into his seat.

Silence.

And then Will buried his face into his arms and started sobbing.

"Will, what…? Will, what's – what's up?" Jake asked hoarsely.

The tears kept pouring out.

"What's wrong with me?" he bawled. "What am I going to do with myself?"

"Will, there's nothing wrong with you. You're just fine – I don't –"

Will shook his head and kept weeping.

"I used to be so – so – I don't know…You know what? I'm just…useless! Hear me? Useless!"

Jake opened his mouth. And closed it.

"Oh God…" Will moaned, and buried his face deeper into his arms. "I might as well die! Right? If I died right now, I don't think anyone would care!"

"That's not true," Jake finally found his voice. "I would care. I would care very much."

Will just kept shaking his head.

"What kind of man am I? What must Anjelika think if she heard about me?"

At Anjelika's name, Jake's heart plummeted. He found it hard to say any encouraging words.

"She would think that you were awfully brave, risking your life to save the town," he said in a restricted voice. Hate was licking the sides of his body. The question was, _What would Anjelika think of him?_

Cavaldi shifted in his chair uneasily. Will's hacking sobs slowly faded away.

After a few minutes, Will lifted his tear-stained face and looked directly at Jake.

"I hope you make some progress with that girl of yours tomorrow, bro. Or I'll have to take some actions soon." And he cracked a sad, lopsided smile.

……

When Jake walked into the Great Hall with Cavaldi he was more amazed than a deer in headlights. _You have to hand it to them_, Jake thought, looking around, _For some creepily white-faced people, they sure know how to follow orders._ Everything he had dreamed to happen had been done. The hall had been completely transformed.

"Don't you like it?"

The Prince had come up behind them with a boyish look of delight on his face. Jake turned to him, all smiles.

"Oh yes Your Majesty, oh yes!" and he gave a sweeping bow.

"Glad to hear it, glad to hear it."

Soon, they were walking around the Hall, admiring every intricate detail.

"Do you know where this cloth comes from Your Majesty?" Jake asked the Prince, gesturing at the deep blue tapestries. "They come from England, Your Majesty, the finest tapestry makers in the world."

"They come from where?" The Prince asked, munching on a cherry cordial and not offering his guest any.

"England," Jake repeated, and then added hastily, "Way out in the ocean you know. A little island by Ireland."

"I see…" The Prince murmured, although it was clear that he certainly did not. Jake sighed. If it weren't for the money that he so desperately needed, he would never have agreed to work with this scatter-brained dolt. The money, and the prospect of seeing Cinderella at the ball.

……

People started flooding in at around 5:30 pm. It shocked Jake how many people were invited. The dancing began at around 6:30 pm and Jake was shunted off to the corner where nobody noticed him. Cavaldi was having the grandest of times, dancing away, twirling the most coquettish of girls, and just having a wild ol' time. Jake was starting to feel miserable. There was no sign of Cinderella at all. But at around 7:50 pm, something caught Jake's eye. Actually, something caught everyone's eyes.

The most stunning girl alive walked into the Hall with timid steps. Her dress was deep blue; it shimmering like the stars; there were delicate flounces at the bottom and all the ladies of the hall practically turned green with envy. But if the dress was beautiful, it was nothing compared to the girl herself. With skin as silky and pale as milk, a perfect mouth, pale gold hair that glittered under the chandeliers, and dainty toes that peeped out from under her dress the girl looked like she descended from the moon.

Jake gagged on his punch and stared opened mouthed, just as many other people were.

The girl, keeping her head down demurely, moved gracefully towards the Prince, who was waiting there with his arms outstretched.

The orchestra recovered from the shock the fastest, and started playing a lovely waltz. Everyone else stood off to the side and watched as the strange girl waltz along with the Prince very gracefully.

For the rest of the night, the Prince would dance with no other girl and since the girl never left the Prince's side, no other young gentleman was able to dance with her.

Once, the girl turned her face to where Jake was standing and the light fell on her face just at the right moment.

Jake stood up straighter. She looked really familiar. Why?


	5. Ch 5 Dreams Come True

**A/N: Reviewer from Belgium – I guess I don't know you then. But the person I thought you were had parents from Belgium! I'm really sorry I haven't updated in suuuuch a long time, but midterms are coming up and I'm way stressed. Plus, all winter break, I've been working on this other essay thing so I haven't really had any extra time to myself. It might take a while for me to start the ball rolling again – it's probably really rusty.**

**But…thanks to all who reviewed! I love you all so much – and would kiss you and send roses and money and stuff if I could. Also, to those who are starting to get irritated because it seems like I can't get it into my head that Cavaldi is French – I'm sorry. But it's kind of late to change it now…oh well I'll just not mention his nationality from now on. The movie was kind of confusing for me, for those who were my first few reviewers probably remember that I didn't even remember the French torturer's name at first – and had to resort to calling him "French torture guy" until some kind reviewer told me his name. Anyways, enough with the chitchat – onward!**

Jake stood up straighter. She looked really familiar. Why?

……

Soon, there was a break in the dancing as the people milled around, chattered and nibbled delicately on refreshments. Jake pushed through the crowds as his eyes stayed on the beautiful dancer.

She was being led to the food table on the arm of the Prince.

"Do you see those tapestries?" the Prince was asking the beautiful girl.

"Oh yes – they're lovely!" exclaimed the girl. Something jumped in the pit of Jakob's stomach. He had heard that voice before.

"Well, they're from…from…" the Prince hesitated, not sure how to pronounce the goddamn country, "E-enklant…?" he asked, no one in particular. The girl's eyes shone with admiration.

"England did you say? Did you know that England is one of the finest tapestry-making countries in the world?"

"Er…yes, yes I was just about to say that in fact."

"Did you order them yourself Your Highness? What impeccable taste! They're truly wonderful!"

"Yes, of course I did. Who else do you think I would trust with such an important task?"

Jake could feel his fists curl in anger. How dare he! The girl smiled and turned to the hors devours.

"Excuse me," the Prince said apologetically as his parents waved him over. The girl nodded. When she looked up from the food, her eyes locked with Jake's who was standing right next to her.

"Oh – pardon me!" she exclaimed and quickly lowered her eyes.

Jake felt electric sparks flying up his spine.

"Cinde – Cinderella?"

The girl jumped, and spun around.

"Who was it – oh, it's you." Her tense body relaxed, when she saw Jake's bewildered look. Quickly, she gathered up her skirts and made for the opposite side of the ballroom.

"Wait – what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she called over her shoulder,

"Don't worry yourself about it."

But Jake put on a burst of speed, pushed past the people (many whom were extremely disgruntled at being brushed past) and caught Cinderella's arm. The girl stopped immediately.

"What do you want? Who are you?" she asked, swatting at his hand with her fan.

"Nothing," he relaxed his grip, "I just…we met in the forest…remember?"

Cinderella looked him over.

"Yes, yes…we did – didn't we?" She smiled at him warmly, and Jake almost melted to his toes. "I'm sorry for running away from you like that. Would you like to – sit down for awhile?" she gestured to the plump velvet armchairs that Jake had ordered in the corner. Jake pulled one up for her.

"You first," he said, with an elaborate sweeping motion. Cinderella obliged, and Jake followed suit on another chair.

"So…" he twisted his fingers uncomfortably.

"So, tell me about your name. Cinderella isn't usual – I'm mean – it's a beautiful name, I just –"

Without warning, the girl's eyes flashed.

"Don't – don't call me that…here," she said in an anxious voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know…"

"It's okay. I just rather, I'd just rather no one knew who I was. That's all."

Jake was filled with curiosity, but he didn't press the matter.

"Would you like to dance?" Cinderella asked, quickly. Jake's heart soared.

"Of course! I mean, if you want to."

Cinderella graced him with her dazzling grin.

"I want to."

When the music started up again, they stood up. He placed his sweaty hands around her slim waist and she placed her small hands lightlyon his shoulder.At first, Jake's steps were awkward and unsure. He hadn't danced elegant ball dances in a long time. But when he looked down at Cinderella's glowing smile, his heart quickened, his steps were more sure, and soon he felt like he was flying, with this beautiful girl in his arms.

The girl was the best dancer he had ever encountered. Her steps were light and witty – her body swayed gentlywith the music – like windchimes dancing in the wind.

"You're a wonderful dancer," Cinderella whispered. Jake gave an awkward grin.

"I'm okay. You're really good too."

"Did you like dancing when you were younger or something?"

"Well…" Jake hesitated, since boys who danced weren't exactly something to be proud of.

"I danced, a little, you know…just folk – village dances, but I like music. In fact-" Jake smiled shyly at her, "I really like singing."

"Really? So do I! What songs do you like?"

A shy smile spread across Jake's face - he couldn't help it! No one had ever applauded his love for music before.

"Oh, Gypsy Rover, Scarborough Fair and stuff like that."

Cinderella beamed.

"Those are all wonderful songs. Have you heard the Greensleeves before?"

Jake couldn't suppress the rumbling laugh that erupted from his heart.

"It's my...my favorite!"

Cinderella began to sing, quietly,

"Alas, my love, you do me wrong,  
To cast me off discourteously.  
For I have loved you well and long,  
Delighting in your company."

Jake joined in, as the harmony:

"Greensleeves was all my joy  
Greensleeves was my delight,  
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,  
And who but my lady greensleeves."

As Jake whirled around and around, he felt like his dreams were really coming true. He would remember this night forever – with a sweet girl's shining eyes staring up at him, and the music swelling in the background, as if sensing his joy.

"You're a much better dance partner than that bumbling Prince," Cinderella said. Jake almost popped with all the happiness mushrooming inside him. _Ha!_ he wanted to say to the Prince, _You can lie all you want about ordering the tapestries and planning the ball, but she still chose me over you!_

He looked down lovingly at the dainty girl, so pure, so beautiful...like a fairy to take him away from his desolate and dark reality and waltz with him to a fairy tale land where everything was golden.

He leaned down and his lips brushed gently across her soft one.

But at that moment – there was a yell –

"Bastard! Get away from my dancer, you hear me? Clear out!" The Prince had stormed over and was gesturing so wildly, that everyone had to step away. The music stopped. Every one watched as the Prince marched over the awkward young man and his beautiful partner.

"What a nerve you have, young sir! Just what do you think you're doing?"

Although he was shaking, Jake stood his ground as best as he could.

"Who said she was yours? As far as the law says, any girl can dance with any young man she pleases."

The Prince turned purple with rage.

"Oh yeah? Well unless you want my guards to turn up at your door tomorrow and kill your brother and you – you better leave, right now!"

Jake turned white. He turned away from Cinderella and let go of her waist.

"I better go…" he mumbled.

"Wait!" Cinderella begged the Prince. His expression softened immediately.

"What would you like, sweetums?"

"C-could I just talk with him for a second, just a little walk around the palace? We have some important business to wrap up…could we…?"

The Prince was visibly battling with himself. He would die before he let Jakob have any more time with his "sweetums", but he dearly wanted to let this sweet angel get whatever she desired.

"Oh fine," he sputtered at last. "But my guards will be watching your every step…mind you, no funny business…"

Cinderella barely nodded before taking Jake's hand and leading him out of the ballroom.

"Wh-where are we going?"

"To finish our conversation of course!"

They wandered around the courtyards of the palace. Dusk was settling and Jake could barely see Cinderella's face. They talked for a while, before stopping at a small pond. She put her arms around him, and he put his hands on her waist again. Singing softly, they started up a dance again.

"Greensleeves was all my joy  
Greensleeves was my delight,  
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,  
And who but my lady greensleeves.

Your vows you've broken, like my heart,  
Oh, why did you so enrapture me?  
Now I remain in a world apart  
But my heart remains in captivity."

"Where did you learn how to sing?" Jake asked, breaking off suddenly. He had admired her voice for a long time.

"Oh…nowhere. But my mother really enjoyed singing, so I might have gotten my love for music from her. I don't know. But you're a much better singer than me, Jakob."

Jake flushed. It was the first time she had said his name after learning it on their walk. She way she said it – the way she put a musical lilt into it…made him want to hear it over and over again.

Her mother? At the thought of the middle-aged woman who had answered the door, Jake made a grimace. Cinderella saw his look and guessed his thoughts.

"Oh, I don't live with my mother. She…passed away a long time ago."

"I'm sorry."

"Yes," there was definitely a tone of bitterness now, and Jake longed to find the reason for it.

"But…it's okay, I guess. I don't remember her too well." There was apause and Jake asked gently,

"Does your...your father tell you about her?"

She shrugged.

"Did you know that my father was a King once? He had many wives. After he died too, my…my other mother moved us to this country. Far away from my mother's memory I suppose."

Jake caught his breath. A King! That made Cinderella a princess! He found it hard to push away the first image of her dressed in total rags, crouching in the forest dirt.

"When the small pox epidemic swept through the kingdom, I heard that my mother locked herself up in a soaring tower, so as not to get the disease. They say that she sang every day, outside her window and men who heard it pined to see the owner of the golden voice. They tell me that the small pox got her any ways." She stopped. Jake had turned pale, and his fingers were clammy with cold sweat.

"What's wrong? Are you okay…Jakob?" The way she said Jakob…Jake froze. Cinderella didn't notice, she had let go of Jake, and was staring wistfully at the pond.

"Some people say that she still lives. I hope she is. Maybe, when my…other mother lets me go, I could go see her."

**A/N: So…I know that the Cinderella story is kind of altered, but I noticed that most all of the fairy tales were altered in the movie, and much more so. So I thought that this would be okay – my readers will accept it…hopefully. Anyways, good luck to everyone on their midterm exams! Hope you find some time to review my story! Thanks!**


	6. Ch 6 Saying GoodBye

**A/N: Thanks for all your reviews! I should think up a reward for those who review!**

**You know, I checked my stats and it looks like more than 100 people hit Chapter 9, but only 9 people reviewed! What happened to all the 91 who didn't review?**

**I read back on the previous chapter– I am quite rusty. I think I'll have to go back and polish it up a little. Anyone want to help? Just send in suggestions. Thanks to all those who have sent suggestions already. Meanwhile, occupy yourselves with this new chapter! (although I should be studying for exams…)**

Under normal circumstances, Jake would have bolted at the mention of that Queen.

But he couldn't. Disbelief sprung vines and bound him to the spot. Cinderella and the Mirror Queen?

"You ready, sweetums?" a voice drawled from out of the darkness. It was the Prince, strolling up the cobblestone walk. He swept past Jake and put an arm around Cinderella's shoulder.

In the distance, Jake heard the clock start chiming midnight. He didn't realize it was so late.

Suddenly, as if a demon was chasing her, Cinderella jumped up and started running. Her golden hair streamed behind her as she fled into the night.

"Wait!" the Prince finally reacted and started running, pulling Jake with him. Jake wrestled his arm from the Royal's grip. Soon, Jake, who had longer legs, passed the Prince and was but 10 feet away from the girl.

"Wait!" he echoed the Prince, "Wait, Ella!"

Startled at hearing Jake's voice, Cinderella looked behind her and tripped. Jake almost reached her.

"Ella – what-?"

But the girl was already struggling to stand on her wounded ankle, her eyes twisted in pain. Just as Jake reached out a hand, she resumed running, and soon disappeared.

She had left something behind.

It was a glass slipper.

……

The Prince caught up with Jake.

"Where is she?" he demanded, face flushed and breathing heavily.

Jake didn't answer. His fingers were turning the tiny, sparkling glass slipper over in his palm.

"What's that you got there?" The Prince asked, and snatched it from Jake's hand. Jake's heartsqueezed as the Royal son's clumsy fingers let the glass fall to the ground.

But it didn't break.

The Prince picked it up again.

"It's hers, isn't it? It's her slipper right?"

Jake didn't know what to say. The Prince stroked the glass lovingly.

"Do you see how small it is? Do you think any other girl would be so dainty?"

_I don't know_, Jake thought, a sick feeling rising in his stomach. _Why do you keep asking me?_

"I shouldn't think so, Your Highness" Jake forced through his lips, and made a short bow. The Prince placed it into his velvet pocket and patted it tenderly.

"Tomorrow, I'm going to start a search for her," he announced.

_Good Luck_, Jake thought bitterly.

……

But Jake had underestimated the power of royalty. Being dragged along with the search entourage because the Prince thought that since he had danced with her, he would be able to recognize her easily – Jake watched as the royal search party swept through half the kingdom in a matter of 2 weeks. The Prince had announced that he would marry the girl whose foot fit the slipper.

Day and night, they knocked on peoples' doors, mostly to shrieks of giggling from young women. Frankly, Jake had no idea why the Prince bothered with some of them. Most were too ugly, or otherwise as cruel and biting as a knife. One look and you wouldn't even have to try the slipper on.

Jake had purposely advised the search party to go to the far reaches of the kingdom, as far away from the little cottage in the forest as possible.

But in a month, the whole kingdom had been searched and the girl had still not been found.

Jake turned away disgustedly as all the girls of the kingdom tried to bat their eyelashes at the Prince, and cut off their heels or their toes to fit their foot into the glass slipper. But the advisors always caught on. To think that the Prince once almost rode half a mile with a wench before the advisors caught up with him and told him about her bloody heel. To think that the Prince was so dim-witted.

Then, one day, one day, one of the Prince's personal advisors begged a meeting with the royal son.

"Sir," he started, quite excitedly, sinking into a one-knee bow.

"I've got news. I heard tell of a small cottage in the little forest just south of your palace that we haven't searched before."

The Prince sat up, visibly excited.

"Tell everyone the break is over," he ordered, "We're heading back onto the road!"

"Yes sir."

Jake's insides curdled.

"Sir," he attempted, bowing.

"Yes?" the Prince sneered. Just because he had invited Jake on the search, didn't mean that he treated the lanky young man with any more affection.

"I've been to that cottage…and I can assure you…no one lives there except for an old hag. I beg you not to waste your divine, precious time."

The Prince could sense Jakob's anxiety.

"We'll see…" he drawled, and turned away.

……

It took them only two days to reach the little cottage in the forest. They passed through towns that they had been before, with girls throwing themselves upon the indifferent Prince's carriage, begging him to let them have another chance.

They trundled on.

The Prince climbed out of his carriage with Jake following close behind. The Prince knocked on the door firmly.

The middle-aged woman with the cruel face answered the door and almost fainted at the sight of the royal entourage at her humble door.

"I would like to see all the young women in your household," the Prince barked. Hastily, the middle-aged woman ushered him inside.

Jake had an eerie sensation, walking into the dank and moldy cottage with the picture of the Mirror Queen staring down at him, watching his every move. The Prince was very interested in the picture.

"Does that young lady live here?" he asked. The middle-aged woman almost choked.

"No, no, she doesn't. She died a long time ago."

"I see…a pity…"

"Erika, Kristine! Hurry up, the Prince is here!"

Two young women sauntered into the room, primping their hair and giggling. One was as round as a bowling ball; the other was tall and bony, like a starved horse. Where was Cinderella? Jake craned his neck.

"We've been waiting for you to come try us out my darling Prince," the fat one cooed.

"Would you like me to try it on?"

"No, your foot is so fat it would never make it halfway into that slipper," snapped the bony one. "Let me try it on, Your Highness."

The bewildered Prince just stood there with the glass slipper in his hand. The bony one reached out and snatched it from his hand. She sat down and proceeded to tug it on.

Her foot was slim enough, but it was very long, so long that an inch of heel hung over the edge of the slipper.

"Not you, not you…" muttered the Prince, irritated. The bony one, frustrated, threw the slipper out onto the floor in disgust. It did not shatter. The fat one picked it up carefully.

"Let me try, my sweetums," she cooed.

_One of those girls would do nicely for the Prince,_ Jake thought privately. _Especially the fat one – she even speaks like him!_

While the pudgy foot was probably short enough, no one could judge because it was so wide, it never even made it halfway in, just like her sister had predicted.

"Oh bother," she snarled and threw it onto the floor like her sister.

"Are there any other girls in this house ma'am?" the Prince asked in a bored tone.

"No," the middle – aged woman replied, disappointed. Just then, something caught Jake's eye.

Cinderella had appeared from the shadows.

"May I try it on, Your Highness?" she asked in a shy voice. Jake's heart jumped to his throat and thumped like a drum. THUMP THUMP THUMP…she was wearing her rags, but she looked so beautiful…

The Prince looked up at her and squinted.

"Yes, yes…I suppose you could."

"No!" It was not Jake who yelled, although he would have dearly wanted to, but the middle-aged woman. She lunged for the slipper and smiled sweetly at the Prince.

"I mean – that is just the servant girl…she couldn't have been at the ball…so I don't think you need to waste your time."

One of the Prince's guards stepped forward and pried the slipper from her hands.

"It is the Prince's decree that every girl in the kingdom must try it on," he said in his rough and burly voice.

_Damn you!_ Jake thought angrily.

Cinderella sat down and tried on the slipper.

Of course, it fit…perfectly.

There were shrieks of rage from the other sisters, and a cry of "No!" from the mother. The Prince stood there, looking bewildered.

"You?" he asked, eyeing Cinderella's rags. "Y-you are my…princess?"

Jake wanted to slug him in the face, but the royal quickly recovered.

"Yes, yes, of course! You're my princess! Welcome!" and he took her hand in his. But he didn't have a smile on his face.

Cinderella's face had lit up in a gorgeous smile though, and she said,

"Wait here, Your Highness, I have to show you something!"

And dragging Jake with her, she disappeared behind a curtain.

……

"Hello Jakob," Cinderella whispered breathlessly, behind the curtain.

"Hello…Ella."

A dumpy old woman with a kindly face had appeared next to the girl. With a wave of her wand, Cinderella's rags turned into a shimmering gown – just like the one she wore to the ball.

Jake blinked. "How…?"

Cinderella beamed.

"She's my fairy godmother!" and she took out the other glass slipper from her pocket and slipped it onto her foot.

"I wanted to show you how I did it. I would never tell the Prince!"

Something stuck in Jake's throat.

"Ella, I-I…"

How could he say it? With her looking so adoringly at him with shining eyes, ready to meet her Prince? Awkwardly, he brushed a strand of golden hair from her glowing cheek. Then, he cleared his throat.

"I-I…I love y-you…" It wasn't the bold pronouncement he imagined, but at least he had got those flaming words out of his throat. Cinderella turned her face away.

"Iwould say the sameto you." Her voice came out as barely a whisper. Jake turned her face to him.

"Then why can't we stay together? Why are you going with that bumbling oaf of a Prince? You wouldn't be happy with him, I know you wouldn't!"

Her blue eyes were like shattered glass.

Tears trickled down her cheeks.

"Some things are just too hard to explain, Jakob."

"No!" Jake's insides were burning with fury.

"No! Explain it to me! You said you loved me more than that royal! Why do you have to leave me? You have a choice, Ella, you have a choice!"

She turned away and shook her head miserably.

"No I don't, Jakob."

"Yes you do!" He grabbed her wrists and held them hard.

"Give me a reason! Give me a reason why you should leave me!"

"Jakob, please. Don't make this harder for me than –"

"No matter what, this is going to be hard dammit! Give me a reason!"

The glass in her eyes shattered into a million pieces.

She wrenched her arms from Jake's grip.

"Because he's a Prince god damn you – he's a Prince!"

She started sobbing in a little heap. Jake shook his head.

"I don't under-"

"He's a Prince, and he has money…" More sobs.

"But there's more to love than money –"

"What more reason do you want?" Cinderella's sobs were tugging at something in Jake's heart.

"Do you want me to say he's more handsome than you? Then I'll say it: He's better-looking. You want more? He's a better dancer. More?" her voice was breaking, shattering, like her eyes. "He's got more money. He can take me to a better place! More…"

"You can't mean it –"

She picked herself up and rubbed her hands furiously over her eyes.

"I'm leaving," she said, and refused to look at him. Jake's hands fell limply to his sides. He didn't say anything.

As she turned her back on him and made to walk out from behind the curtain, Jake started singing, in a broken voice, whispering:

"Greensleeves was all my joy  
Greensleeves was my delight,  
Greensleeves was my heart of gold,  
And who but my lady greensleeves.

Your vows you've broken, like my heart,  
Oh, why did you so enrapture me?  
Now I remain in a world apart  
But my heart remains in captivity.

She paused, listening to his sad voice.

"Ah, Greensleeves, now farewell, adieu,  
To God I pray to prosper thee,  
For I am still thy lover true,  
Come once again and love me."

For a heart wrenching minute, Jake thought that she would fly back into his arms, and tell him that she would never leave him.

But she didn't.

She took a deep breath…and walked out from behind the curtain, head held high.

……

When the Prince saw her in all her splendor, he whooped with joy, and scooped her up from the floor, twirling her in the air, showering her with kisses. The tears poured steadily from Cinderella's eyes, but the Prince mistook them for tears of joy.

Jake stood to the side, watching.

"I would love you even as the maiden dressed in rags," he whispered.

**A/N: Whew! I'm finally done with this chapter! I had to finish it, because I could not bear to break this up into more than one chapter – it would ruin it! So what did you think? Don't worry if you're already starting to miss Cinderella – she'll turn up again later!**


	7. Ch 7 Dying

**A/N: Thanks to all my reviewers! I really, really, really appreciate them all. Every one I get encourages me to keep writing. So if you don't want me to give up on this story, please tell other people about my story! And for all you lurkers…please show your support for a writer who isn't making any money off of this!**

The Royal wedding took place almost immediately. Jake received an invitation from Cinderella; he doubted that the Prince even remembered him anymore.

_Dearest Jakob,_

_I'm sorry for the things I said the other day. I really didn't mean any of them. I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me one day._

_I'm inviting you to our wedding on the 2nd of May. I hope you can attend – it would be nice to see your face again._

_Yours truly,_

_Cinderella_

Jake found it very hard to forgive. _If you really were sorry,_ he thought bitterly, _you wouldn't be having a wedding with that Prince of yours._

But even if Jake had wanted to go to the wedding, what happened next, made it impossible.

……

When Jake returned to the inn, he found the room empty except for a lump under the covers of the bed. Cavaldi was gone.

He went to Will's bedside. The older brother was deathly pale, his breathing rattling his weak chest, his eyes closed. Jake sucked in his breath. If it hadn't been for the faint clatter in Will's chest when he breathed, Jake would have no idea that he was alive.

The old fear rose, clawing, bubbling, in his stomach. Dead. "Don't think of that word," he whispered to himself. And yet, his brother looked…dead. Dead. Dead…! "No, no, no," he moaned, "Don't think! Don't think of that word!" But he's going to die…he's going to die…

The thundering in Jake's head was unbearable. He drew his jacket over his head and rocked back and forth in a huddle on the floor.

Tears poured down his dirty cheeks. He hadn't cried when he faced the Mirror Queen. He hadn't cried when Anjelika said good-bye. He hadn't even cried when Cinderella left him. But now…it was as if the pressure of everything that had happened squeezed upon his heart, squeezing until tears started gushing out and wouldn't stop.

If only he hadn't been gone for so long. What did Cavaldi know about taking care of sick brothers for more than a month? _I hate you Cinderella_, Jake thought bitterly as tears dripped into his mouth. _I wish I never met you! _Who was Cinderella but a girl that he had danced with for only a couple of hours? Who was Will but a brother who had danced by his side all his life? _I should have stood up to that brainless Prince._

"Jakob?" Cavaldi had come in. Jake jumped up and used tremendous strength to tackle the taller man to the floor.

"What the - ?" Cavaldi gasped as Jake's fist came flying out of nowhere.

"What did you do to Will? What did you do to him!"

"Nothing," Cavaldi panted, as he finally managed to pull Jake off. "Nothing! For God sakes Jake, get a grip on yourself. He's fine! See? He's just sleeping!"

Jake was ready to jump on him again. "Just sleeping? Are you kidding me? When was the last time he was awake?"

"Uh…" Cavaldi was starting to look a little uncomfortable as he scratched his chin. "Oh maybe…3 or 4 days ago…but you know – " he added hastily as Jake was ready to make an angry response, "He does drift in and out of consciousness so does that count?"

Jake didn't answer. Tears kept flowing freely down his cheeks and he looked down so that Cavaldi couldn't see them. Cavaldi looked away as well.

"Look, I'm glad you're back," he attempted awkwardly, "I don't know how to take care of your brother as well as you do."

"Too right you can't." Jake's voice trembled and quaked. He walked over to Will's side.

His brother opened one eye blearily. "Jake?"

Jake almost jumped. "Will?"

"Jake…" Will's breathing was growing short and his chest was heaving up and down to grab the small amount of air he was taking in. Jake grabbed his hand.

"Will, hang in there. I'll go get a doctor. Hang in there!"

But Will shook his head. "It's…no…use Jake…" He looked at the tears that his brother was furiously trying to wipe away.

"Don't cry…I'm – "

"Will! Stay in there! For me, for everyone – for Anjelika. WILL!" Jake screeched as Will shook his head again, more feebly this time.

"Jake…stop…wasting time…I…have something…to-"

"Just hang in there, I'm leaving. I'm going to get a doctor." Jake slung his backpack over his shoulder, spilling contents out onto the floor.

"Cavaldi!" he barked, "Take care of him. Make him hang in there. I'm going to get a doctor. Don't let him give up!"

But Cavaldi was picking stuff up from the floor curiously.

"Cavaldi!"

"What's this?" he asked, showing Jake the Queen's dagger. Jake groaned.

"It's hard to explain. Did you hear what I told you? Take care of –"

"Yes, yes, I heard you," Cavaldi said dismissively. "But what is this?"

"It's just something of the Queen's. She uses it to bring people back to life, but it's evil – oh, I can't explain right now…can't you see I'm in a hurry?" and with that, he pushed past the French torturer and ran into the streets.

……

It was pouring rain in the streets. Jake sloshed through muck and mud, yelling for help.

"Doctor!" he cried into the frenzy of people trying to find shelter. "I need a doctor!" He stumbled blindly into carriages, with horses neighing in shock, his heart pounded as his feet pounded down the streets. Both in rhythm, both sounding out a death beat – DUN DUN, DUN DUN…

"Doctor! Anybody know a doctor? I need a doctor!"

But nobody seemed keen to help the crazy man screaming and stumbling around in the rain. They all seemed intent on getting to their own destination.

Jake staggered on.

The wind screeched around him as it played cruelly with his bare flesh – his eyes watered, his cheeks were red and raw, his ears were frozen and stiff, his hands were ready to fall off…

And yet he stumbled on.

"Doctor! I need a damn Doctor!"

After what seemed like years, a strong hand gripped Jake's shoulders and steered him into a well-lit cottage. Jake was so grateful that he allowed himself to be steered in.

"You want a doc'or yer say?" a friendly, gruff voice greeted him. Jake didn't know what he said, but all he knew was that next, that thick voice replied,

"Well I'm the best doc'or in town." There was a scraping as the man stood up.

"Name o' McGruffin. Nice ter meet yer."

The next thing he knew, Jake was being led to a warm carriage, and he trundled back onto the road, this time dry, and with a doctor at his side.

……

By the time they got to the inn, Jake felt that there was something terribly wrong. But it wasn't until he got to the door of their room that his fears were confirmed. Cavaldi was standing with his back to the door. His face was cakey and sweaty, and his breathing was panicked.

"What's wrong Cavaldi?" Jake asked when they neared. Cavaldi gulped and shook his head vigorously, unable to speak.

"What's wrong?" Jake was starting to get impatient. He reached to the doorknob, but Cavaldi lunged for it. Jake was bewildered.

"Come on, whatever you're playing at – it isn't funny." But Cavaldi's face looked so horrified, that Jake didn't forced entry into the room.

"He – h-he's…" Cavaldi gulped. "He – h-h…"

"Is he dead?"

Cavaldi shook his head but for some reason, his face didn't seem to relax, in fact it seemed to tense at the mention of Will's state of health. There was an odd smashing noise from behind the door, as if a monster was raging to get out.

"If you can't tell me, let me in! I've got a doctor with me." Jake was starting to get panicked himself. What if whatever was raging in the room was harming Will? What if a creature was killing his brother?

"He – h-he w-won't need a d-doctor…" the French torturer was able to get that part out. Jake was starting to get frustrated.

"I'm coming Will!" he yelled, and seized the doorknob.

He pushed, and went in.

……

The banging and smashing had stopped right when Jake yelled. When Jake stepped in, all was silent. Eerily silent. At first, it seemed as if nobody was there. An abandoned room with nothing but creeping shadows.

And then, Jake saw him.

Facing the wall, standing up, as alive as ever.

Will turned around, and a broad smile spread across his face.

**"I must serve my Queen…" **


	8. Ch 8 Losing Hope

**A/N: Thanks for all your reviews! At first, I was kind of depressed because I only had 1 review from Sawyer Fan for my latest chapter, and then I got Demonwolfpup's. They were really trickling in…drop by tiny drop! But then I got happy, because on January 15 (my brother's birthday) I got a bunch more reviews – 2 from Sylence, and 1 from a new reader – xo900ox, and another one later from Miffy Buttons! I do so LOVE new readers. New readers are so exciting because – well they just are. Those of you who write fanfics know what I mean. But of course all of you also know how much we love old readers too and get so disappointed when they stop reviewing! So don't stop reviewing! My goal is 60 reviews by January 27, 2006. Help me by adding your review! Kissies!**

Shock flooded Jake's body and froze him to the spot. His nightmare was coming true.

Will's voice played over and over again in Jake's head, "I must serve my Queen, I must serve my Queen, I must serve my Queen…!" The pounding in his head blocked out all thought – his vision blurred. All he could see was the dark figure of the one who used to be his brother, advancing upon him. His body was numb.

"Jake!" Cavaldi called in a restricted voice. "Jake! Move! Get out of there…"

It was only then that Jake's feet started moving. His screams blocked out sound as he stumbled to the door. When he got to the door, dark forms of bodies blocked his way, suffocating him. He opened his mouth and unleashed more screams, his lungs expanding, and shrinking, pumping as if the world was going to end. After endless clawing, the mass of bodies finally began to move, making way for him as he staggered out the door, like a man drowning in the endless sea.

When he turned around, Will was close behind him, his face pale, his eyes glittering with malice and passion, his large hands groping, stretching out, ready to seize his brother. His fingers grazed Jake's hand. Sparks of horror flew up Jake's body as his muscles contracted painfully and shrieked with terror.

Heart pounding, body moving as slow as a dull-wit, Jake's fingers clamped over the door handle clumsily and he pressed his body urgently against the wooden door. There was pressure from the other side too, as Will struggled to get out like a caged monster. But soon, the other bodies were helping him, and Jake finally managed to close the door and lock it.

The raging began behind the door again. Jake cringed the sound of shattering glass met his ears. The light bulbs were being crushed. There was a dull THUNK of wood and Jake felt a shake behind him as he leaned against the door, shaking. Will was trying to get out. With some sort of wooden object he had found in the room. He felt another THUD against the door. He didn't know how much longer the termite infested, rotten door would last…

"Come on," came a gentle voice. It was that of the doctor, McGruffin. "Tell me yer troubles."

Jake glared at him. He didn't need some psychiatrist at the moment. There were urgent footsteps and the innkeeper arrived. His face was swelling from outrage.

"What in the devil's name is going on here? I have guests who are trying to sleep tonight!"

Dr. McGruffin shifted awkwardly but didn't answer. Neither did anyone else. The innkeeper looked at the perspiring Jakob, who had slid to the floor with his back still against the door. He looked to the tall Italian who refused to look at Jakob, and was pasty faced still. His eyes roved over to the chubby, kind – faced doctor, who seemed to be as clueless as the innkeeper was himself. Finally, the innkeeper looked intently at the door, behind which there were still awful crunching noises and furious attempts to break out.

"You have 1 minute to tell me what this is all about," the innkeeper snarled, "After that minute, you'll get kicked out like that." He snapped his fingers in an irritated way.

They all looked at Jakob. And although his heart was still beating fast enough to warrant a heart attack, he got up slowly from the floor. He licked his lips.

"Please –" He begged, his voice but a croaky whisper. He cleared his throat. "Please… forgive me." He hung his head.

"Is that all you have to say for yourself? Is it?" The innkeeper jabbed a sharp finger into Jake's chest. Jake shook his head. The world was spinning around him. He could still hear echoes of "I must serve my queen, I must serve my Queen" floating vaguely around in his head. He couldn't concentrate on what the innkeeper was saying. He looked up into the read, blotchy face and tried to tune in to his voice.

"- look, are you even listening to me? If you give me a damn good reason, I'll let you stay. God knows I need the money. Just tell me what the hell happened!"

"I-I, I'm trying to," Jake forced out of his lips as the white swirls closed in on his brain, "It's really, r-really hard to ex-p-explain…"

"'e's had a rough day, this kid," Jake could hear Dr. McGruffin say matter-of-factly.

"Why don' yer just let him off the hook fer today, hm? Question him some other day. I've seen this type o' thing a lot in my career. Why don' ya just move him to a different room fer tonight?"

"Sure, if you can promise me that nothing in _that_ room is going to harm anyone."

"I can assure you sir, nothing will – "

Jake tried speaking, but only a choking sound came out. _You idiots! I can't leave this room – can't you see? What if he gets out? He'll kill us all! I can't leave! _Feverous thoughts raged through him mind, bringing him to his knees. His head felt like it was on roasting in an inferno. He couldn't stand this much longer…

"Okay, that'll be fine," the innkeeper was saying, a hint of worry evident in his voice as he heard Jake's inarticulate burble.

"Come on Jake," McGruffin said soothingly, leading Jake away. Jake was struggling at his touch.

"Lock the door!" he tried calling, "Lock the door!"

"Come on!" With another jerk, Jake knew no more.

……

_Lotte. Lotte? Was Lotte alive again? There was Lotte, singing and dancing. She had just come home from the Maypole dance. Today was May Day. Her eyes were shining with starry delight; her cheeks were flushed with shades of cherry. In her small fist, she clutched a sprig of dandelions. "It's fer you," she said proudly, thrusting it to Jake. Jake laughed at Lotte's baby voice. "For me?" he exclaimed. "Oh thank you! Thank you, thank you!" He tickled his little sister until they both tumbled to the floor laughing, and their Mother looked on from the sun-filtered doorway…_

"Jakob? Are you coming around?"

Jake moaned, and pushed his face deeper into the covers.

_Will came in soon after. He brought a teenage girl with him, her cheeks roguishly red, her eyelashes long and fluttery. She lifted her skirt higher than necessary as she stepped through the door…Jake and Lotte got up immediately, like little children being caught doing something embarrassingly immature – even though Will was only a few years older than them. They looked at each other and tried not to giggle._

"Jake, wake up!"

Jake opened his eyes. The musty darkness of the room snapped him awake like a cold shower. It had all been a dream.

"Jake? Yes, yes, you're awake! You're awake, old boy! Yes!" Cavaldi's curly hair was matted with sweat.

"I thought you were gone for sure, just like your brother, but I guess you're okay, you're great! Have some breakfast!"

Jake felt sick to his stomach. It had all been a dream. A stupid dream. And yet, he wanted to sink back into that dream, warm, and fluffy, where everything would be all right forever. Where he would live happily ever after and not worry about Anjelika, Will, or Cinderella. Where he could see Lotte again and hear her laugh. Where nothing would go nightmarishly wrong. Like having Will say…_Oh God, don't think about it,_ Jake thought fiercely and squeezed his eyes shut so that tiny red spots appeared. _Don't think about; don't think about it_. He was getting that headache again.

"Are you alright?"

Taking a deep breath, Jake opened his eyes and gave Cavaldi a smile so wide it hurt. "Yeah. I'm fine. Where's breakfast?"

……

A while later, between munches of hot toast and dried chicken, Jake asked, "So Cavaldi, how did it happen?"

He tried to make his voice light and nonchalant, but the stone in his stomach was turning somersaults. The former torturer's face screwed up and his forehead broke out in sweat. He looked like he was going to throw up.

Jake couldn't sympathize. After all, he wanted to throw up as well. But could he? Could he just spill his guts out, feel better, and have someone look after him for a change? No.

"Well?" he prompted again after awhile. Suddenly, Cavaldi let out a wounded moan.

"I didn't mean it Jake, I really d-didn't mean it!" He fell to the floor, clutched Jake's gray blankets and drew them to his chest as if they were his only lifeline.

"Wh-what did you do?"

"He was d-dying Jake, honest! He was r-really dying!"

Jake's stomach constricted and refused to loosen. The dry crumbs in his mouth started tasting bitter.

"Y-yeah…I know, I know. He w-was…was, you know…w-was…dying."

"A-and you were gone so long, Jakob…so long!" And unexpected torrent of tears came raining down from Cavaldi's eyes. His gnarled hair got wet and stringy and his tears were brown with the mud that caked his face.

"I didn't know what to do so I – so I remembered what y-y-you said about the Queen's dagger bringing people back to life so I just – I just – "

"You didn't – "

"I did! Oh Jake, I did! I pushed the dagger right into him! Right into Will!"

……

Jake knew it had to have been something like that. It wasn't just a crazy coincidence that made Will say those horrible words. But all the same…before Cavaldi had made his confession, right when Jake knew that the Italian man was going to say it – his hands wanted to fly up and choke Cavaldi, choke him until the truth would die with him and Jake would never have to face it again. But it all came too fast, so Jake ended up sitting there in total shock.

Cavaldi crushed his face into Jake's lap and there was silence. Aside from Cavaldi's throbbing sobs – the world seemed to have stopped.

In Jake's ears there was muffled crying, ringing again and again. Maybe they were Cavaldi's, but maybe it was something else.

Maybe it was the sound of his soul dying.

And his heart crying, gushing out tears of blood.

He closed his eyes and lay back down on the floor. He wanted it all to be over. To give himself up to the mercy of the Angel of Death. He wanted to go to a place with no pain, no nightmares, and no evil forever. Couldn't he just surrender? Just let go?

_No, Jake _a small voice in his head said firmly. _You need to finish your books_.

_I can't,_ he said to the voice. The whining in his head was growing louder and louder. _I can't finish it, and I don't care either. It's just a stupid book anyway._

_Jake…what about your dreams? Don't you want them to come true?_

_Beans_, he retorted, _There are no such things as dreams come true, and you know it._

_No I don't…because…if you don't fight the Queen, who will?_

_I don't care_! he screamed back I don't care who will. _Once I'm dead and gone, it won't matter to me either way._

_Do you want other people to end up like Will?_

_I –_

_Do you want other people to turn into something less than a human being, Jakob, while their family members go through the pain you're going through now?_

Black and white pictures, unbidden, swam into his mind like an old film reel. Pictures of savage people, rising from their beds attacking their loved ones as the people they once knew sobbed in the corner. Jake could feel their pain. He could feel their hearts being wrenched from their chest and ripped crudely into uneven shapes, and tossed indifferently into the churning sea where they would be swept away and forgotten. He saw the Queen, rising from her throne and laughing avariciously at her revived beauty, oblivious to the aching of people around her. He saw her scarlet fingernails, long and claw-like, closing in on what she wanted to most – eternal, beauty.

The raging in his head quieted. His conscience had won.

"Alright," he said out loud, his eyes still closed. "Alright, I'll kill that Queen even if I die with her blood on my hands!"

He bit his lip and sat up, putting his hand under Cavaldi's chin and turned it to face him. He examined the waxy face. Dirt was smeared all across in streaks like a modern art painting. Curly, black hair hung limp and wet from tears. Tears welled in his dark eyes like residue. Dark and dull, his eyes were those of a man looking for death.

"Cavaldi, I want to know what happened next," he said in a low voice. Cavaldi hiccupped miserably, and tried to wrench his face away, but Jake held on.

"Take a deep breath…good, now tell me."

"H-he just g-got up, a-and I was so happy, I said, 'W-will?' b-but he didn't answer me. Just had that b-blank look in his eyes, and that's – that's when I knew it w-was all wrong…"

"H-he took his hands and curled his fingers around m-my neck – like this…" Cavaldi took his own long fingers and coiled them around his neck so that his eyes bulged and his face started turning a nasty shade of purple. He choked and sputtered and froths of saliva coated his lips, before his fingers finally grew limp.

"And h-he said in an awful voice, he said, 'I must serve my Queen…' Why did I do it? Why did I do it Jake, oh tell me!" he screamed and pulled his face away. He thrashed around on the floor before Jake was able to pull him together and say in a shaky voice,

"It's okay Cavaldi, everything will be fine. I'll fix it – I promise."

"Really?" he asked, hiccupping miserably. Jake took a deep breath. He thought that the shuddering in his voice would betray his credibility.

"Really. What happened then?"

"And then he let go of me and said, 'You're not the one I want, I want Jakob Grimm, bring me Jakob Grimm!'"

Cold flickers flew up Jake's spine. He didn't say anything for a long time. He let Cavaldi's voice echo ruthlessly in the empty room. He needed to revisit those black and white pictures to force himself not to give up.

"Cavaldi," he finally said firmly, "You need to pull yourself together. You were a professional torturer for the French once – you need to act more like it! We need – " he licked his lips nervously as the words seemed to mock him. "We need to destroy the Queen that did this to Will so that it'll never ever happen again. We'll burn her to ashes and dig a hole so deep we can't see the end of it. And then we'll hurl those ashes into the pit and seal it so that she will never rise again. Do you – do you think we can do this?"

There was a silence, and Jake felt like he was talking to a blank wall. But finally, Cavaldi sat up resolutely and rubbed his dirt-caked hand brutally across his wet eyes.

"Yes. But I need to know more about that – that goddamn stupid Queen first."

And so Jake filled him in on the whole adventure with the Queen as morning turned to noon and noon turned to dusk.

The two were so intent upon their mission that neither noticed the first raven flying by.

……

It was very dark by the time Jake had finished explaining everything to Cavaldi and to the innkeeper. The innkeeper was ready to throw them all out, but Jake (to his great surprise and astonishment) finally managed to convince him about staying – on the terms that Will didn't get out and that Jake paid the rent for both rooms.

Jake's night slumber was fitful, he kept dreaming about the time when Lotte died and the only time he had seen Will cry before. "Don't cry," Jake had said. "I'm not crying!" Will had screamed as a tear trickled down his rough cheeks…

Shrill cawing filled the air. Jake woke up with a start. He listened in the darkness his heart pounding wrathfully. The unmistakable sounds of a flock of ravens. The Queen's ravens.

For some reason, Jake thought the harsh cries sounded terribly like a ritual chanting – something like the birds were gathering around some master. The sound grated against his ears, and made his hands go clammy with sweat.

"What is it?" Cavaldi mumbled, turning in his sleep.

"Shhh!" Jake hissed. They lay in the dark, seeing nothing, but hearing every thing.

Shouts now mingled with the raven cries. The shouts were urgent and fearful. And there was another sound too…a deafening crashing sound, and the sound of a window shattering. More shouts from men. Jake caught the words, "He's getting away!"

Suddenly, the door burst open and Jake sat up. The innkeeper stood there, his lantern swinging wildly.

"He got away!"

"Who – "

"Him! That Will man! He got away!"

**A/N: So this chapter is considerably longer than the last one. I hope you guys like it. This is my first shot at horror/angst. I was planning to update earlier, but I was having some plot problems. I was going to make Guieg McGruffin Cinderella's father, but I didn't think you guys would buy it. Besides, it would bring a lot of complications. I know that since I combined chapters, there's been this problem with reviewing. Many of you who had reviewed my previous chapters, can't get in to review this one. I'm working on it. I've emailed support. and I hope they fix it soon. In the mean time, just read it, and think about what you will write when you can review! Thanks! And remember, my goal is 60 reviews by the 27th!**


	9. Ch 9 The Start of Another Journey

**A/N: Hey everybody – thanks for all your reviews. It was so sweet that all of you wanted to help me with my goal – really, really sweet. I know about the review problem and I'm annoyed at the support people, but in the meanwhile just read on. I think I'll have to get to chapter 11 before some of you can review! I noticed that some people think that the dialogue is kind of weird – and dialogue is something I really want to work on so if any of you have advice, I'd be happy to hear it.**

**Lastly, for anonymous reviewers, if you don't mind me replying to your review, leave your email. I'd love to let you know how much I appreciate your reviews!**

Getting dressed quickly, Jake hurried outside with Cavaldi at his heels. They stopped at Will's room. The door had been smashed open. What little wood left was hanging desperately at the hinges. Shards of wood lay on the floor. Termites were crawling everywhere.

In side the gray room, the bed was gone. In its place lay a dejected heap of wood. The bed sheets were ripped to shreds.

Jake turned, and walked to the shabby main lobby of the inn. The window had been shattered. There was a gaping hole where something had been thrown. Veins of glass spread from the hole.

Outside, in the dim light, he could see ravens swarming everywhere. A couple of men had come out of their houses and tried to shoo the birds away. But they wouldn't leave. They circled like a black cloud, shrouding a lone figure…hurrying down the street and out of sight.

……

"Pack your bags. You're all leaving. I'm not having you two stay in my inn one more night!" The innkeeper was beside himself with rage.

"You're lucky I'm not charging you for the damage your monster of a brother did – I just want you two out of here! Now! This second! Don't stand their gawking at me, I said, pack your bags!" His arms were flying everywhere and his face was a puffy red.

"What does this mean?" Cavaldi asked worriedly as they walked to their room.

"I don't know," Jake answered, rubbing his eyes tiredly.

"I feel like I should know, but I don't."

"Do you think it has anything to do with us?"

"I don't know. I told you I don't know, now will you leave me in peace?" Jake snapped. Cavaldi fell silent.

They really had nothing to pack, but Jake went around straightening the dusty room and collecting their meager rations of food. They walked out and passed the innkeeper's desk.

"Thanks for…for all your help," Jake said awkwardly, and placed some money on the table. The innkeeper grunted and the two companions set out through the door, and out onto the street.

As they walked, Jake couldn't help looking back and thinking, _How time flies. We entered that inn as three, and now we leave as two. What else will time bring? _

……

"I should send a letter to Anjelika," Jake said. Cavaldi shrugged. They walked into a tavern and ordered two drinks. The man sharing their table was writing wildly in a notebook. Jake eyed the paper.

"Excuse b-but can I have a sheet of paper?"

The man looked up, irritated at being disturbed, grunted, and tore a sheet of paper from his notebook.

"Here."

Breathing a sigh of relief, Jake accepted the paper and fished a crusty quill from his pocket. He eyed the man's inkbottle. The man grunted irritably again as he saw Jake's glance and pushed the bottle closer to Jake.

"Here."

"Thanks," Jake smiled nervously, and started writing.

_Dear Anjelika,_

_Something absolutely terrible happened. I can't go too much in depth because I'm sharing some stranger's inkwell at this time in a rowdy tavern. But I have to say that Will has turned over to the Queen's side. He had the dagger pushed into him and when I went in, he said…don't make me tell you what he said. _

_All you have to know is that he broke out of his room today and is heading who knows where. Please help, Anjelika…I have no idea what to do. _

_We'll being staying at – _

Cavaldi, who had been reading over Jake's shoulder interjected at that moment. "Where are we going to be staying?"

"Cinderella's" The words were out of his mouth before he even thought about it. Cavaldi gaped, openmouthed.

"You mean that girl that's going to be married to the Prince tomorrow?"

Jake's stomach lurched – for the hundredth time it seemed.

"Y-yes…I forgot about that."

"But how in the world are we going to get in?"

"I know her – sort of – but I know her."

A slow smirk spread across Cavaldi's face – something that Jake was least expecting to see.

"Oh – that girl you fell in love with a few weeks ago, huh?"

Jake thought back. It had seemed such a long time ago. Only about a month ago the beautiful girl had danced in his arms. But when he struggled to remember it, the memory only came back hazy and cloudy, as if it had been another life. He seemed to have been reborn – into a total nightmare.

"Y-yeah…I suppose you could refer to her like that. She invited me to the wedding, and I suppose I could use that to get in or something."

Cavaldi was awed. "She invited you? She invited you? Mate, that's not something you get everyday – even working for the Royal French Court, I have only been invited to one wedding and that was a small one too – a guard with a cook. Jakob, why didn't you tell me this before?"

"I – I forgot."

"Oh right, you forgot. Something happened Jake, I can see it in your eyes, mate. I can see something happened between the two of you. Tell me what it is!"

Jake sighed, "Oh God, Cavaldi, you should be a matchmaker or something – not a torturer!"

"Tell me!"

"She…" he hesitated, not wanting to tell Cavaldi the whole truth. It was private, a part of him he would tuck away forever and look at like a postcard, when times were hard.

"She's the daughter of the Mirror Queen. I'm not in love with her anymore."

Cavaldi's eyes nearly popped out. "No way. That girl? That girl you said was so beautiful and everything? Wait…" Recognition dawned across his pale face. "Wait…it was her! That girl that walked in at the middle of the ball. That girl the Prince danced with for so long! That girl, you danced with…the Prince was so mad at you…"

Jake grimaced at the memory.

"Her? She's the Mirror Queen's daughter? When did you find that out?"

"That night. She told me."

"No way. You mean, she was just like, 'I'm an evil Queen's daughter who's dead but lives in a mirror'?"

"Idiot, do you really think she said that? You're so…such a…urgh! Cavaldi, just be quiet okay?"

Cavaldi could see that he had hit a sore spot on Jake's heart, and fell silent. Jake returned to his letter.

_We'll be staying at the Royal Palace at Bureaugard. If you want to send a letter, send it there. I think we'll be safe there for the time being. If we change location, I'll send a letter as soon as possible. I hope you and everyone else is safe. _

_Love,_

Jake crossed it out, uncertainly.

_Yours Truly,_

He crossed it out again.

_Sincerely,_

Frustrated, he nearly poked a hole in the parchment.

_Love,_

_Jakob._

……

As they walked to the palace that Jake knew so well (considering he had worked there for the last two months), Jake felt like a shirt being stretched from both sides. Soon, he was going to tear.

Part of him really wanted to see her again. He wanted to look into her eyes, feel his shriveled heart swell, see her smile, and stroke her glittery hair. He could plunge back into the fairyland.

But another part of him – the nagging part, knew that it would be impossible. She was going to be married to Prince, how could he still be close to her? He would have to walk around the palace, masking his feelings, and restraining himself from leaping on the stupid, selfish Prince.

As they got closer, Jake's heart started thumping again, it jumped around and yammered in his chest wildly; it leapt up to his throat, so that he had to swallow several times. His hands grew sweaty, and he could feel his face grow warm. He was suddenly aware that he looked a mess, and smelled awful.

If it weren't for Cavaldi, Jake was sure that he would have turned and fled. There were plenty of other places to spend the month, plenty of other places where he wouldn't have to worry about what he was going to say to the girl of his dreams. But there was Cavaldi, loping along behind him, and if Jake fled, he would never ever hear the end of it. He wouldn't be able to stand the shame.

So although every atom of his body told him to turn and bolt away, he finally approached the great gates, guarded by austere looking soldiers with powdered faces. He had approached them a million times; only this time he didn't have the badge to show that he worked there.

He cleared his throbbing throat.

"I…eh…umh, excuse me…sires."

They gave him the smallest of glances and looked forward, above his head.

"I…sires, I umh, I'd really like to see the Princess-to-be, Ella."

The older guard, with the powder sticking in great lumps on his face, snickered. "You? Talk to her? Who do you think you are young man?"

"I – I know her – "

The shorter and younger one with powder spread as smooth as butter across his face snorted derisively and joined in.

"Right – and you expect us to believe that? What would such a pretty thing have to do with you? Get lost, ruffian. Or do you want us to call more guards out?"

Jake really, and truly wanted to get lost. But at Cavaldi's arch of eyebrows, Jake said, more firmly, "I want you to call Ella out…please."

The two guards exchanged glances and laughed out loud. The younger one was gasping on the floor when Cavaldi kicked him. The guard sprang up immediately, with his eyes flashing.

"You – you imbecile! Alright, we'll call her out, but mind you – if we find that you two were lying…you'll be thrown into the dungeon cell immediately and left to rot there…" The smile had left the guard's face and he sneered the last two words as he disappeared into the palace.

The seconds lengthened into minutes…Jake stood there with blood pumping through his body so quickly he thought he was going to faint. What if Cinderella wasn't happy to see him back? What if she threw them out? What if she was so mad at him that she ordered him to rot in the dungeons like the guards said? And what if she knew him, but was so surprised that she didn't register recognition right away? Wouldn't the soldiers seize him immediately, without waiting for her to show recognition?

Finally, he heard the guard coming back. He heard the clickety-clackety of heeled slippers. A sliver of the swishing dress came into view. He heard her before her saw her.

"Jakob?"

And his heart swooned at her voice and tears sprang into his eyes. He wanted them to stop, and he blinked furiously. He didn't want Cavaldi to see the tears; it was just as bad as running away. A flurry of motion – and Cinderella flew into his arms.

He could smell her sweet lavender fragrance as he held her tightly around the waist. He buried his face into her golden hair and wiped his tears into it. She was crying too, he could tell, by her fast breathing and how she kept choking out, "Jakob, you came – you came!"

He could tell dimly that the guards were drawing back, as if afraid to see this strange spectacle, and that Cavaldi was watching jealously, but he didn't care. All thoughts of insecurity fled and all he knew was that he was holding Cinderella in his arms again…and she was glad to see him.

**A/N: Here, I have a question for all my readers. Would you like to have some romance stuff between Cinderella and Jakob for awhile (a.k.a one chapter) or would you prefer they just went ahead with the story? If it was romance, I would definitely add in some important stuff about the Queen and their journey to destroy her, it wouldn't be just random gushy - gushy stuff. But if you don't want any romance at all, and would prefer more action – let me know. I'm not sure yet. So review and tell me what you think. Thanks!**


	10. Ch 10 A Pea

**A/N: So sorry I haven't updated in such a long time! I just couldn't think of anything to write but two days ago, I sat down, started writing, and it feels like the words really started flowing out of my pen. Anyway, I'm so glad to be back. I hope those of you who read my story before haven't forgotten me! Enjoy and review.**

To Jake's relief and uneasiness, the wedding hadn't taken place yet. He didn't know whether he had a chance or if Cinderella would throw him out for suggestive advances.

Miserably, he shut himself up in the room Cinderella had arranged for him to share with Cavaldi.

Until one day, he heard some voices from hall, floating through the door.

"Really, Betsie, I understand why you have to ask so many questions. A pea is a pea. And whether I ask you to bring me 100 mattresses or 10,000 mattresses, I don't expect any questions to be asked."

"Yes, Your Highness."

It was the Queen and her chambermaid. Jake's dull ears picked up. A pea? 100 mattresses? This sounded like something interesting. Something to keep his mind off of Cinderella at least. He took of his shoes so that his footsteps wouldn't be as loud and eased himself off of his bed, careful not to make a sound. Then he opened his door softly and trailed after the Queen and her maid. He knew that ladies seldom looked over their shoulders; their ruffs blocked anything from view.

"If you ask me, there's something funny about her. I doubt she's a true Princess", the Queen was saying. "Don't you think so Betsie?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

"So I asked my astrologer what I should do….and he said –" at this, she bent confidingly into Betsie's ear and Jake had to crane his neck to hear.

" 'Put a pea under 100 mattresses if you're so worried. Have her sleep on top of the mattresses and ask her how she slept. If she feels the pea, then she's a true princess. If she doesn't, then you should send her away, or behead her, whichever pleases you.' "

"Now," the Queen straightened up. "Have you ever heard anything as daft as that?"

"No, Your Highness."

"I mean, if I put a pea under all those mattresses, the pea would surely get squashed to pulp. I'm not stupid you know."

"Quite the opposite, Your Highness."

"There's no way she could feel it. It's just the old, superstitious men who spout such nonsense. But any way – it would get her out of this palace." The Queen threw back her head and laughed.

"Aren't I ingenious, Betsie? But mind you, keep your corpulent mouth shut, don't breath a word about it to anyone."

"Yes, Your Highness."

"Especially my son. I know he'll make an awful fuss and then I shall have that dreadful headache again. You know how infatuated he is with her…for reasons I can't understand. I just want to keep my precious little cherub for a little longer. I heard that once a boy gets married, he doesn't listen to his mother any more. When he does get married, I want it to be to the very best girl in the world. Certainly not that brat – Cinderella."

Jake had heard enough. He listened as the Queen's voice floated down the hall, and away, before he hurried off to find Cinderella.

……

She wasn't the first person he met. That was Cavaldi. Jake nearly bumped into him in his hurry. Cavaldi caught him by the arms.

"Whoa, boy! What's the hurry?"

"I need to find Cinderella."

Cavaldi raised an eyebrow

"I thought she was already taken."

Jake drew himself up to his full height.

"This is above all that. This is a matter of utmost importance." He looked at Cavaldi.

"Where have _you_ been anyway? I have barely seen you in our room these past few days."

Cavaldi laughed.

"Oh, I've just been touring around, making friends with the right people you now. I daresay they'll let me stay on."

"As what? A French torturer?"

"Oh no," Cavaldi clapped Jake on the shoulder.

"A gourmet chef. Can you imagine that? Me, a gourmet chef for this royal family!" He gave Jake a wink, then strolled off, whistling.

Jake couldn'thelp but feel a pang of loss as he watched Cavaldi's back. He knew he would have to leave this palace soon, but he always thought that when he did, Cavaldi would be with him.

_I guess not._ He jammed his thumbs into his pockets and kept walking. _You couldn't blame him, _Jake mused. _He looks happier than he has in days. _

……

He finally found Cinderella walking around the garden. He immediately quickened his pace, but a few steps away from her, Jake stopped. Suddenly, his heart had started thumping loudly, and he wasn't so sure any more.

If he told Cinderella about the pea, then she would pass the Queen's test and she would marry that Prince.

But if he didn't tell Cinderella about it, she wouldn't pass the Queen's test and wouldn't be allowed to marry the Prince and Jake might have a chance after all.

Jealousy was eating away at him but pride made him want to show off to Cinderella and show her how kind and considerate he was. But what use would that be if she was fit to be tied?

He blurted, "Hi Ella."

Cinderella turned around and smiled when she saw Jake.

"Jakob! I was hoping to see you."

Jake felt his face grow hot.

"You – you were?"

Cinderella laughed her bell-chime laugh and grabbed Jake's hands.

"Of course! Why did you come see me?"

"Well…" Jake straightened up importantly.

"I overheard the Queen on my way here…" and he told her the whole story, about how the Queen was planning on using the test to throw Cinderella out "or behead you," Jake added and he shuddered at the thought of Cinderella's beautiful face and her curls of golden hair being hacked off at the neck and falling in a bloody heap at the ground.

Cinderella's blue-green eyes widened.

"A pea?"

"Yes, and if she tells you to sleep on 100 mattresses tonight, you better tell her the next morning that you couldn't sleep well at all because of a large bump that most surely had to have been a pea."

Cinderella's face broke into a smile, and Jake gazed at her, drinking up every glowing feature.

"Oh Jakob, thank you so much for telling me! I don't know what I would have done!"

And before Jake knew what she was doing, she had circled her slender arms around Jake's neck and began kissing him.

And Jake kissed her back.

……

Jake had no idea what he was doing, but there he was, in the Prince's garden, his lips pressed urgently on Cinderella's, kissing her as if he was starving for love, thirsty for passion.

His fingers were running from her head, down her neck, and along her back. He could hear Cinderella's heavy breathing, blowing the wisps of his hair around and her voice whispering, "Oh Jakob, Jakob…"

Before he knew it, they were sitting down, on the stone bench nearby. He knew that if they kept going, he would soon be on top of her.

Cinderella broke away.

Jake longed to lean forward and taste those soft lips again, but he held himself back.

Cinderella was breathing heavily, and she looked at him with her eyes out of focus.

"I'm – I'm, so sorry," she said hastily. "I must have forgot myself."

She straightened her rumpled dress and wouldn't look at him. Jake tried to turn her face to his, but she stood up.

"I'm so sorry," she apologized again. "I have to go."

……

Jake replayed the kiss in his head over and over again. What he didn't understand was why Cinderella had run off afterwards. Hadn't she shown that she truly loved him, with that sense – shattering kiss? What else could she have meant by it?

There was no way that she could have simply, "lost herself". People don't just lose themselves and start kissing random people.

Or did they?

Jake couldn't sleep that night, and wondered what Cinderella was thinking in her bed.

The next morning, Jake staked out the royal family's breakfast room. Cavaldi found him loitering around the doorway where the family was to eat.

"Jake! There you are! What are you doing here? Have you forgotten? We don't eat with the royals; we eat breakfast on the 2nd floor. Come with me – I heard they're serving some absolutely delicious food today!" Cavaldi tried to tug Jake's arm but he wouldn't budge.

"I have something to do…upstairs," Jake said distractedly.

"Aw come on, Jake. It can wait 'til breakfast!"

"No it can't, and stop bothering me," Jake snapped. His eyes were raking the halls for a glimpse of Cinderella. Cavaldi looked shocked.

"Okay, okay…I'm off," Cavaldi said, and scampered off, staring at Jake over his shoulder.

The clock chimed seven times. Soon, Jake heard the rustling of gowns, and he hid himself behind a statue.

First came the King, with his trail of servants. Beside him was the Queen looking happy with anticipation.

Behind them came the Prince…and Cinderella. Jake felt jealousy dissolve his insides, and an acidic taste rose to his mouth as he saw Cinderella holding onto the Prince's pudgy arm, and the Prince gazing at her with complete adoration.

Jake looked away.

When the door closed, Jake crept out of his hiding place, and pressed his ear against the wood. The murmur soon began to make sense to him.

At first, the conversation was unbearably boring. Jake's ear was beginning to ache from the hardness of the door, and he sank to sit on the floor.

"By the way, my dear Ella…" a lady's voice was saying. "I completely forgot to ask you – how did you sleep last night?"

Jake's heart fluttered and jumped. He heard Cinderella's melodious voice reply,

"Oh, I'm sure I was just not used to the finery in this palace, Your Highness."

"What do you mean, sweetheart?" The Prince asked.

"I really don't mean to be rude, but – "

"Say anything you like, my little Danish plum pastry," the Prince said. "Say that the bed positively reeked if you like."

Cinderella laughed.

"Well, it didn't reek, I assure you. But…I felt a sort of lump under my mattresses, I'm not sure…well it might have been because there were so many mattresses, but…"

"But?"

"But I'm almost certain that there was a pea in my bed."

There was silence. Jake nearly burst with anxiety. He heard a fork drop.

"That's impossible," he heard the Queen say abruptly.

"Of course, I don't think it's possible," Cinderella allowed. "It must have just been my silly imagination."

"It wasn't," the Prince said. "Mother, if Ella says that there was a pea in her bed, there was a pea in her bed. Do you think this beautiful face would ever be wrong?"

There were kissing noises and Jake wanted to pound through the door.

"Betsie?" the Queen roared.

"Yes, Your Highness?"

"Did you – did you say anything…anything about – you know…"

"No, Your Highness, not a word."

"Well, you don't look like you're lying. When you lie, your face turns red – did you know that, Betsie?"

"No, Your Highness."

"Well, Ella, I suppose you are a true princess."

"Yes, Your Highness. I know."

"I grant you permission to marry my son."

"Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."

Jake wanted to cry.

……

Jake stumbled back to his bedroom after that. He had heard what he wanted to hear. He crushed his face into his bed and tears streamed out of his eyes. He knelt there, crying, and rocking his face in his hands.

It was in that pose that Cavaldi found him.

"Goodness, Jakob – you never came to breakfast, I brought some – Jakob!"

Cavaldi dropped the food he had brought and ran to Jake. Jake rubbed his eyes furiously to get rid of the tears and raised his head to look at the French man.

"Were you crying, Jake?"

"No, I wasn't, just some onion trouble, Cavaldi". He gave Cavaldi a wan smile. Cavaldi shook his head.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were…"

"I were what?"

"Well, I don't know…lovesick, maybe?"

Jake groaned, and threw his face into the mattress again, willing the tears to stay in. Cavaldi sat down next to him.

"Well, if this makes you feel any better…you got a letter."

"From who?" Jake asked into the mattress, not caring.

"Anjelika."

Jake nearly flew up from his bed.

"Anjelika! But how – what – Why didn't you tell me before!"

"You were mad at me before, remember?"

"I was not."

"Well you snapped at me."

"Just let me have the letter."

Cavaldi gave it to him. Jake opened it quickly.

_Dear Jakob,_

_You must come back. Immediately._

_--Anjelika_

Jake didn't know what to think. "Come back?" he asked aloud. "Why?"

……

Jake didn't want to leave. He wanted to be where Cinderella was all his life, stealing glances at her whenever he could.

Cinderella and the Prince were married the next day, among lots of celebration. Jake locked himself up in his room the whole day.

"Aren't you coming to the wedding?" Cavaldi had asked. Jake didn't answer. Another thing he couldn't bring himself to face was that if he left, Cavaldi would probably not be going with him. He didn't know what to make of that. Cavaldi had almost taken over as a brother, although he was as different from Will as possible.

"What are you going to do?" Cavaldi asked later, after the wedding – his cheeks streaked with dirt, and his face red.

"I dunno. Go back, I suppose. What's there left here for me?"

Cavaldi sighed and didn't say anything for a while. Then:

"You know, Jake, I know you still love that Cinderella girl…"

"Who told you that?" Jake snapped.

"Nobody," Cavaldi hid his surprise. "But I know you do. So why don't you ask her to come along? I mean, this is about her mother, isn't it? She'll definitely want to come."

"Maybe…" Jake couldn't see why she would want to, considering her reaction after they had kissed. But he didn't say that to Cavaldi.

"I don't see how she could come with me, seeing that she's married and all."

Cavaldi laughed loudly.

"It's not like you're going to make advances on her, Jakob. Just tell them that she can bring chambermaids, guards, as many as she likes. They won't object after that. And anyway, go with _us,_ Jakob, _us_."

"What do you mean?"

"You're not going back without me."

……

That night, Jakob asked a maid where Cinderella's room was and allowed her to escort him there.

The maid knocked softly.

"Your Highness? There's a young man here to see you. He says his name is Jakob."

The maid turned back to Jakob.

"She says to come in."

Jakob walked in awkwardly, aware that the maid was watching him shrewdly, and that she kept the door open.

"Hello."

Cinderella was sitting at her desk, reading a very old book.

"Hi…erm…I don't know how to ask this but…"

She looked at him expectantly. It was the first time in days that she looked him full in the face.

"Before Cavaldi and I came here, we were at this town and something happened, and we thought we solved it and came here, but it turns out that it's not solved and my friend just wrote me and told me I should go back, and – " Jake took a deep breath.

"You want me to go with you?"

"It's about your mother."

Cinderella jumped.

"My – my mother?"

"Yes."

Cinderella didn't say anything for a long time. When she did, she wasn't looking at Jake anymore. She was fingering her book.

"You know, I've been doing some research on my mother. I want to find her, you know…and I've found some, strange things."

Jake waited.

"Did you know that they say she enchanted her soldiers so that when they died, they would turn into ravens?"

"Do you believe that?"

She looked up at him.

"No. Definitely not. My mother would never do something like that. And anyway, why would she? What use would a bunch of ravens be?"

"I don't know…"

"Rumors are rumors Jake. Not many of them are true. They also say that she managed to keep herself young a beautiful…"

Cinderella touched her cheek.

"Do you think I could do that?"

**A/N: Like it? This is probably one of my first attempts at a kissing scene so tell me if its good or if it grosses you out - :) If the stupid system still won't let you review, do what jinxyknockonwood did, please review anonymously. So...I've thought of where this story is going to go and I can't wait to get there! Also, I'm going to proofread some of the chapters and reupload them - no plot changes, just language and word choice etc. Kissies!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: After my two year hibernation, I decided that I had to come back and keep writing this fanfic – figures it was my junior year in high school, which equals the most stressful time of my life. I'm practically functioning on 10 hours of sleep a week.**

**I may be a little rusty. I haven't had a chance to write for fun since the summer. Forgive me.**

**Also, before I start, I'd like to give the loudest shout-out to all my reviewers. It is because of each and every one of you that I was motivated to pick up my pen and resume scrawling. Seriously – it was actually really hard for me to come out of hibernation. And I'd also like to thank the people who found my story long after I updated and reviewed for me. I couldn't believe that people were still reading it!**

So everyone, no matter how bad this chapter is, this chapter is dedicated to all of you! Post Hibernation Chapter Uno

It wasn't long before Cinderella had a royal carriage all fixed up and ready for their long journey back to Germany.

Quite a crowd had gathered to say farewell, including, Jake noticed, the sour-faced Prince who skulked around in the shadows but could do nothing to stop his newly wed from making a long journey with two strange men.

The crowd unnerved Jake, who began to polish and re-polish his glasses with his dusty shirt. Cavaldi, however, was soaking it all up like a happy little clam.

"Charming day, madam," he said, nodding to a middle-aged woman who was soothing a fussy baby at her hip and wiping her brow, "I'm glad to see you like my ensemble – I like to be impeccably well-dressed in face of a long trip."

"Cavaldi," Jake hissed impatiently.

"Indeed, I am certain that the fair people of this town will be heartbroken to see me – what was that Jake?"

"Cavaldi – it's time to go!"

"Just a minute – where was I? Oh yes – heartbroken to see me go, but I assure you that I will be back."

It took all of Jake's waning strength to pull Cavaldi into the carriage. As they trundled down toward the palace gates amidst cheering, Cavaldi cheerfully waved to the people outside.

"They just can't get enough of me, can they?"

……

Jake felt as if the weather was mocking him and his little party as they trundled along. The sun was bright and hot, almost surreally so as he was trapped in the little black carriage, watching the sun rise and fall against the same black drop of clear blue sky. He felt strangely as if they weren't going anywhere.

To make matters worse, Jake and Cinderella sat rigidly as far apart as possible in the jostling carriage. They avoided looking at each other and made tight-lipped conversation.

"I may specialize in torture," Cavaldi remarked as he stepped out at last when they arrive to their destination. "But I don't think I've ever put anyone through _that_."

Jake stepped out too, wobbling slightly when he felt the ground beneath his feet. He brought his hand up to his forehead as he looked down to the horizon. The same thatched roofs, the same gray sky, the same sounds of children laughing.

He thought he would never be back.

And yet, here he was, standing at the edge of the little town that housed so many nightmares, this time without a brother beside him.

His brother. Will He had forgotten about that for the last few days, his mind set awhirl by the palace and the newly crowned princess. But now, it came back, it's full force crashing about in his mind, so that he felt his knees buckle slightly.

Will. Where was he? Was he in this same town, helping the queen rebuild her tower? Was he doing everything the Queen bid him to do?

At the thought of his strong brother being so completely servile, against his will, made Jake suck in a breath as pain seared through his brain.

"Look," Cavaldi said, pointing to a group of people in the distance. The group was making its way toward them.

Jake wanted to run, now – immediately. His heart clattered wildly in his chest and all he wanted to do was escape, run anywhere! What was he doing, playing hero when his brother was locked up somewhere? He was nothing but a fraud, and never would be anything but a fraud. He felt a cry tear through his chest as he turned around, ready to run away and forget everything.

It was Cavaldi who stopped him. His strong fingers gripped Jake's shoulder, strong and reassuringly.

"Look," he said again. "Isn't it that girl?"

Wondering what girl he was referring to, Jake turned back around slowly.

It was Anjelika.

Jake recognized her strong features, her mouth set in a determined line, her hair blown out behind her by the wind, her head held high, her dress the same homemade quality he had last seen her in.

She hadn't changed one bit.

She looked so strong, so statuesque, and he suddenly felt safe. When she reached him, Jake enfolded her into a hug to somehow absorb some of her strength and energy.

Will might not be here anymore, but Anjelika was. And she had helped them get through it last time, why not again?

"It's good to see you, Jake," she said into his ear.

There was a slight cough. Jake let o, and turned around. Cavaldi was looking very awkward. But not for Jake or Anjelika though. Jake looked to the right and saw Cinderella standing there severely, arms folded over her chest.

She looked away when Jake glanced at her.

What was going on?

"It's bad," said one villager in a gravelly voice from behind Anjelika and Jake turned back.

"We think that Queen's rebuilding her fortress. We've been seeing an awful lot of ravens in the forest these days. They've all got some business, acting unnatural-like. We don't know what to make of it."

Jake licked his lips. They felt dry all of a sudden. "I see."

All of the villagers looked at him, waiting for more.

_What do you want?_ he felt like crying out. _I'm not a hero; I'm not some brave soldier. I'm not even a good brother. What do you expect from me?_

They stared at him, waiting for an answer.

And he couldn't give one.

……

Dinner that night was tense. Cavaldi, Jake, and Cinderella sat around Anjelika's table, eating silently. The food was tasty enough, but Jake felt as if a dead weight was hanging from his belt, tugging it tighter and tigehter until he could barely breath, let alone eat.

"So," he choked out to Anjelika. "What do they want me to do? Wave a magic wand and have everything be okay?"

Anjelika sighed as she helped herself to some mashed potatoes.

"I don't know. But I don't know that there's a tower that's going up in the middle of the forest right where the old one was. I've seen it with my own eyes."

Jake gulped.

Next to him, Cinderella was picking at her food.

"What is this?" she finally asked, sounding politely annoyed.

Anjelika looked at the girl with an expression of equal annoyance on her face.

"Frog innards," she replied sarcastically.

Cinderella nearly choked on her food.

"Excuse me?" she asked, coughing.

Anjelika didn't answer her but asked Jake pointedly.

"And you brought her because?"

Jake felt his face flush. Was he supposed to tell her right out that Cinderella's mother was the evil mirror queen they had come to get rid of?

Cavaldi answered ofr him.

"Her mother's the Mirror Queen," he said tearing up his chicken bone.

Anjelika's eyebrows shot up. "And she's come to see us do away with her mother?"

Cavaldi shrugged. "Pretty much."

Jake felt like kicking him. Cinderella was looking confused and hurt.

"She thought her mother had died awhile ago, and she hasn't seen her since she was born. We thought…well she wanted to see her mother…"

Anjelika snorted. "There's not much to see. Just a pile of bones."

Jake inadvertently looked at Cinderella, wanting somehow to apologize.

He saw that small slivers of tear were sliding out from the corners of her eyes.

"Anjelika," he began, but Anjelika had a look of triumph glowing on her face.

……

"Now you did it!" Cavaldi said giddily, jumping on his bed when , an hour later, he and Jake were retiring to their rooms.

"What?" Jake mumbled into his pillow.

"Anjelika and Cinderella! You've got them squabbling over each other for you!"

Jake felt his face flush. "I-I have no idea what you're talking about."

"It's a lady thing." Cavaldi said matter-of-factly, turning to face Jake.

"You can tell they're jealous. They can't even look at each other without an ugly look on their face."

Jake groaned. "Are you sure you're not imaging things?"

"I'm sure," Cavaldi said emphatically. "I mean, you should have seen Cinderella's face when she saw you hugging Anjelika! She looked like she was going to cry!"

"And that's supposed to be a good thing?"

"With ladies it is."

Jake shook his head. "Cavaldi, she's married."

Cavaldi shrugged. "You're the one who brought her along."

Jake didn't answer this time. They both law there, thinking about all this, their thoughts accompanied by the hooting of owls and the rustling of mice. Soon, Jake kheard Cavaldi's breath slowing down as he fell asleep.

Then Jake shifted to stare out the window. He could see the moon so clearly here in the country. It glowed beautifully, like a large, porcelain plate.

Was Will staring up at this very same moon? What was he thinking?

Jake shifted restlessly in his bed. The house was so quiet. Was what Cavaldi said true? Did he have the affections of two girls? Jake smiled bitterly to himself in the darkness.

_Fat lot of good its done for me,_ he thought. _One liked Will better, and one went and got married to some other guy._

He couldn't sleep. Shadows were dusting off their cobwebs in his mind and dancing around in his head, haunting him. He saw images of his mother, he saw Will's face lit with happiness as he pressed his lips to a frothing mug of beer, he saw Anjelika lying in a casket, he saw Cinderella's eyes filled with tears…

He heard the song again:

"Your vows you've broken, like my heart,  
Oh, why did you so enrapture me?  
Now I remain in a world apart  
But my heart remains in captivity."

The pictures whirled around faster and faster, until they were just a blur. Jake couldn't grasp them, he felt as if he was being swept away with nothing to hold on to.

He couldn't take it. He threw off his blanket and walked quietly to the door of Anjelika's little cottage.

He stepped outside and saw the quiet town sitting before him, bathed in a silver moonlight.

If he thought about it, he could pretend that there was noone left in the town, that they had all let or died.

Jake shivered and felt strangely alone. He stepped out to take a walk. Maybe moving his legs would help calm his mind.

It was odd. He hadn't meant for it to happen, but within a few minutes, Jake found himself on the outskirts of the forest. His heart was thumping in his chest. It looked so familiar.

_Don't do it!_ his head screamed.

But for whatever reason, his legs lifted and stepped into the forest.

……

The going wasn't so tough. After the Queen's tower had been toppled, much of the enchanted trees had fallen away.

Soon, Jake reached a clearing. He jumped behind a tree when a raven flew over him screeching wildly.

It was a good thing he had jumped too. When he took a closer look at the clearing, he saw the strangest of all sights.

A flock of hundreds, maybe thousands of ravens were at work. Each black bird had a stone in his beak and they were piling stones on top of each other to create a looming tower. It was almost finished.

And – Jake's knees gave way as he sank to the floor with a moan – there was Will.

He was almost unrecognizable. He had grown out his beard and his hair had grown wild. He wore a black cape, glittering of dust and cobwebs. But it was Will – it was definitely Will. An ornate bed with the body of the Queen lay beside him.

Jake watched as his brother raised his hand and Jake gasped when the sleeve fell over his brother's wrist and he could see Will's hand, illuminated by the moon, his fingers were now long and skeletal, his fingernails yellow and dirty.

Jake could hear a familiar voice fill the air. The Queen's.

"Now for the incantation…my dear Prince…the incantation…"

In the obedience, Will began to mutter a strange string of vowels. The tower glowed and sparks shot into the air. Jake covered his ears but he had to look.

The ravens had now circled round and round in a frenzy.

"The birds…"the Queen whispered.

"Yes, my Queen."

Jake's eyes filled with tears to hear his brother's voice. How could a voice sound so familiar and yet so different? It was Will's same strong voice, but it had lost its swagger, its life.

Will drew a long and shining sword from his waist. Then, one by one, he snatched the ravens out of the air and drew a line of blood down the bird's back. The bird screamed, its wings writhing, and then – Jake gasped. It wasn't a bird any longer. There was a young, fair-haired man lying on the ground, his back bleeding. Will took a vial and caught the blood that was trickling into the dirt. He did the same for bird after bird, until there was a pile of dead bodies that leaned against the newly built tower.

When he was done, Will brought the vial to the Queen. He brought the vial to her lips.

Jake watched in shock as slowly, the torn and tattered fabric that clung over the Queen's bones transformed into a stunning glittering velvet gown, the skin re-grew over her bones, her eyes opened and…she was beautiful again.

She sat up and touched her face. Her skin shimmered and shone.

"Ah! I'm beautiful again!"

Then her eyes narrowed, marring her pretty features.

"I will never be defeated again…"

Then, she slowly got off her bed and with a wave of her hand, turned the pile of dead bodies into s tone sculpture that resembled an angel. But Jake could see that it was made up of hundreds of screaming faces.

The Queen laid a hand over Will's arm and the two of them walked into the glowing tower, leaving the bed, empty vial, the sculpture, and Jake behind.


	12. Ch 12 The Queen Rises

A/N: Hi guys – this is a faster update than last time right? I hope everyone's having a great summer!

"Jake! Jake!"

Jake opened his eyes and saw Anjelika peering down at his face, looking worried.

It took him awhile to realize where he was. The leaves crackled as he turned around. He was still in the forest. He had curled in a ball and fallen asleep. His eyes were heavy with tears. The tower was still there. So was the sculpture.

"We couldn't find you anywhere," Anjelika whispered. "We looked everywhere – how'd you get here?"

"Why are you whispering?" Jake asked, getting up.

"I don't – I don't want to wake anything," Anjelika said, taking Jake firmly by the arm as they started to walk out of the forest.

Sunshine was streaming in through the filter of branches and leaves, but Jake still felt uneasy, crashing through the forest the way he was.

Maybe it had to do with the creaking of the tress as their branches swayed in the wind. Or maybe it was the unnatural silence – no birds sang, no forest animals scuttled around, no water was rushing past rocks. The forest seemed dead, save for the two humans tramping along the dirt floor. Or maybe, Jake just felt ill at ease at having left what he knew to be the Queen's rebuilt lair behind. Who knew what would happen in the short amount of time between his last look at the tower and when he got back to the tower.

"Anjelika," he finally said, more to break the silence than anything.

"Yeah?" she asked, not looking at him but pushing on through the thick bushes.

"Well…don't you ever, you know, feel scared in this forest? It's so…eerie."

Anjleika set her jaw defiantly. "It's not eerie. It was beautiful before that – that witch came. It was my home."

Jake knew that had touched a sore spot. He pretended that he knew exactly what Anjelika was talking about and nodded.

But that seemed to irritate Anjelika even more.

"You don't understand. You just don't get it because you've only seen this forest since its been cursed. But when I was a little girl, it was fine, just fine. Don't keep nodding your head like you get it, because you just don't. Don't pretend."

Jake's throat felt stuck. He tried to think of something to soothe Anjelika's angry wound.

"I guess…I don't get it."

Angleika snorted. "I'll say." Then she swung the hair out of her face and pushed another tree branch out of her way.

……

When they got back to Anjelika's cottae, Cavaldi was waiting for them at the door.

"There you are Jake – what the hell were you thinking, running off like that?"

Anjelika muttered something that closely resembled, "Idiot" and Jake turned red.

"I couldn't sleep," he said defensively. "And you'll never believe what I saw anyway."

All three of them walked inside and sat down at the breakfast table where Cinderella was waiting. Anjelika slammed bowls of porridge on th etable in front of her guests so violently that Cavaldi leaned into Jake and whispered with a raised eyebrow, "Dear, dear…what did you say to her?"

Cinderella was raising a spoon tentatively to her lips when Anjelika snapped at her.

"What? Is porridge no good enough for Miss-Newly-Crowned Princess?"

"No, its just that its – "

"Just that it's what? Not what you eat when you rise and shine with your little Princey-poo? Why don't you go back to your snug little palace?"

"Anjelika, aren't you being a little –" Jake began but Anjelika's voice drowned out his timid one.

"If you want to know, Miss. Ella, that mother of yours likes to kill little girls for fun. She's cursed this whole village! And you want to see her? What a nice little daughter you are. But you know what? Your mother's a bloodthirsty witch. And you're probably just like – "

"Anjelika!" Cavaldi barked, rising from his seat. Anjelika looked a little blown over by the loud outburst. But she gathered herself together quickly.

"Anjelika, you are being very unfair. I assure you that Madam Ella is nothing like – er – that. She is a very pleasant – "

"Her mother enslaved and killed my father!" Anjelika screamed. "Her mother took your brother Jake, and you know that if she had a choice, she'd have us all killed!"

Cinderella had dropped her spoon and turned very white.

There was a crashing silence at Anelika's words as everyone froze.

Finally, Cinderella whispered, "Is that – i-is that true?"

Jake looked at his hands. Cavaldi didn't reply. Hatred was still etched into Anjelika's face.

Pushing her chair away from the table, Cinderella ran out through the door, crying.

……

Anjelika sat in shock for minutes. That meant that Jake and Calvdi had to clear the table.

"Never knew she'd take it so hard, quite frankly," Cavaldi muttered, up to his arms in soap suds.

Images were flicking in Jake's mind. His brother falling from the tower. His brother's ebullient laugh. His brother cloaked in a dark cloak, killing people with his silver dagger.

"It must have been the same for Anjelika", he said in a low voice.

"What?" Cavaldi asked, distracted. Water poured out from the faucet, the soap bubbles were creeping up to his elbows. He was struggling to get them off.

……

The sun began to set over Anjelika's cottage later that evening and Cavaldi, Jake, and Anjelika were eating their dinner quietly. Each knew what the others were thinking: where was Ccinderella?

Jake's throat was hoarse from calling her name all day…_Cinderella, Cinderella, Cinderella…_

Meanwhile, as the same sun began to set over the Queen's fortress, the beautiful Queen was admiring her reflection in the mirror.

She drew one slender finger down the side of her milky cheek. She fluttered her long, butterfly feathered lashes prettily. Her hand crept through her luscious, silky brown hair that curled her hair over her collar bone.

Her servant, what was his name – Will or something like that? – was standing at the door. She turned to him and flashed her most brilliant smile at him.

"Do you think I am beautiful, my dear Prince?"

He looked at her blankly and answered dully, "Yes, of course, my Queen."

But that didn't satisfy her. It had been years since she had heard a young man cry for her beauty lustfully. She wanted to hear that throaty cry right now, she wanted to flaunt her beauty and flirt wildly and toy with men's passions again.

She waved her fingers and whispered an incantation.

With satisfaction, she saw the man lurch at her wildly. His strong fingers clutched at her delicate shoulders. She liked the feeling of his touch.

"Now tell me," she whispered, "how beautiful am I?"

He looked down at her and his fur-lined hood fell back. She saw his strong, rugged features and his dull blue eyes still showed the remnants of some boyish sparkle. _Pity_, she thought maliciously, _he would have been quite handsome_.

"More beautiful than the night sky. More dazzling than the sun rays, more charming than nay girl I have touched before," he answered huskily, as his hand traveled up through her hair, she felt a long lost thrill running down her spine, and as his fingers went to her slender neck and rested softly just above her chest. His other arm circled around her waist.

She sighed and rested in his arms. This is what she wanted for eternity…she saw her reflection through her half-closed eyelids, a beautiful young woman in a dazzling red dress in the arms of a handsome man. The mirror edges seemed to frame a perfect picture – the delicate lady swooning into the strong, reassuring grasp of a burly, muscular young man. She smiled.

Now was the time. Quietly, with her eyes still half-closed and enjoying the touches of the man holding her, she said, "Mirror, mirror on the wall…who is the fairest of them all?"

She waited for the reassuring answer. But the mirror took a while to reply. And when it did, it said.

"My dear Queen, you are fair it's true, but your daughter it must be said, is fairer than you."

The arm around her waist tightened and she screamed. Images whirled in her brain – they seemed long forgotten – a little baby girl in her arms, the girl at her death bed…

She blacked out.

……

Cinderella was lost. She had wondered around the village for awhile, but before long, she had plunged blindly into the forest. Now, she was in pitch black darkness and the trees were smothering any light that might have shone.

She hurtled through the leaves and the branches. She figured that if she kept moving, she wouldn't get caught by who – what ever was following her. The only problem was, the more she walked, the more she felt like she was walking into something awful.

Her limbs were sore and heavy, her dress was torn tattered. She wanted to sag down and sleep. But she wouldn't no – otherwise the dark creature of the night would swallow her up.

But it wouldn't hurt to…rest her head for just a little bit…

Her legs collapsed beneath her and she sank down next to a tree…

Was what Anjelika said true? That her mother was an evil witch who reveled in the bloodshed of innocent people? She wondered…

Where was Jake? That boy said he had loved her…wasn't a true love supposed to rescue her in times like this? Where was he?

Footsteps…heavy boots…Through the haze of sleep, Cinderella saw a large shape blundering through the forest.

Panic gripped her heart, but her body moved slowly. The figure had almost reached her before she was able to scramble half to her feet.

The figure stopped in front of her. She wondered what it wanted. Was it a bear? A hungry bear? The figure drew a silver dagger from inside his fur-lined cloak.

A cry escaped from her mouth, and Cinderella straightened up. For some miraculous – or cursed – reason, the moon chose that moment to shine through the trees so that she could see the attacker more closely – his twisted mouth, his blank eyes and his shining weapon.

"Please, please sir – don't –" Cinderella gasped as the dagger loomed closer and closer.

"Jake!" she screamed madly, "Jake, help me!" Where was the stupid boy? She was going to die!

But the dagger stopped, inches away from her face. She dared to open her eyes. The man had collapsed onto the floor and was clutching his chest as if something was paining him.

What was going on?

She knew she had to run away, quickly, but she couldn't leave this man on the forest floor. Was he hurt? Was this a ruse?

She leaned down to get a better look at his face. It had turned a ghostly white and his body was shaking.

"Excuse me, sir?" she said tentatively.

The man only just seemed to notice that she was standing there. He staggered to his knees and grabbed Cinderella's arm.

"Please – did you, did you say…Jake?" he gasped.

"Y-yes, I did."

He licked his lips and held a hand to his chest as if trying to stop the tremors. "M-my…brother?"

"Your - ?" Cinderella stared. Jake's brother? This was Jake's brother?

_Her mother took your brother, Jake!_

Was this the same brother?

"M-my brother…safe? Alright?" the man was wheezing.

"Yes, he's fine, he's –"

The man clutched her arm more urgently. "Is he here? In village?"

"Yes, he's"

"Tell him, go away! Nothing he can save here! Tell him to go!" The man was so emphatic about this point that he shook Cinderella violently.

"Do you know my mother?" Cinderella asked curiously, wincing as the man's fingers nails dug into her wrist. "The…Mirror Queen? Do you know her?"

At that, the man's spasms subsided, and the man's lips curved into an evil smile. He picked up his dagger.

"Yes I do. And she's the most beautiful woman of all time…more beautiful than the night sky –"

"She's still alive? I thought – she died?"

"Oh yes, she's alive. She is a clever lady and she has crafted her own magic to keep herself beautiful for eternity. I will love her and serve her forever…"

A thrill ran through Cinderella's skin. She wished that one day, some man would say the same about her. At the same time, she felt a deep sense of longing wash through her. She wanted to see her mother, the mother she had missed for such a long time…only to be abused by her stepmother and her stepsisters. If only she could see her again…

"Can I see -?"

But the man had doubled over again, clutching at his chest and moaning in pain. When he saw Cinderella, he reached for her arm and gasped, saliva dribbling down the corners of his mouth,

"Go away from here…go – Queen sent me to kill…" but he couldn't finish. He howled as a fresh spasm of pain went through him and his seizures started again.

"Kill? Kill who?" Cinderella was terrified now. This strange man seemed to be suffering from a two-part disorder of some kind.

The man used a great effort to raise himself once again.

"Go from here! Go – don't come back!" he was starting to look agitated.

"Kill who?"

The man's tremors shook him violently. He licked his lips again.

"You."

Cinderella screamed again.

"Go," the man repeated as his eyes started rolling. "Go. Your mother…want to kill…"

Cinderella didn't need to hear anymore. She dropped the man's hand and ran, tears streaming down her face.

Her mother wanted to kill her.

**A/N: So…coupla questions for you, my dear reader. Was it just me, or was that scene with the Queen pretty gross? My pen tends to do things of its own accord, and I decided to keep it because it made me dislike the Queen even more. Also, do you like Anjelika? Is she a potential love interest for Jake? What about Cinderella? What do you think of her? And…(I'm going to cheat here) what should happen next? I have a good idea of how the story will end, but I want to develop it a little more.**

**Finally, totally unrelated question: Is it worth it to spend around $90 to attend a one-day writer's workshop from 10am – 5pm? **

**Thanks for reading!**


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